Digital Jukebox Device with Improved User Interfaces, and Associated Methods

ABSTRACT

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainment systems that interact with users to provide access to media appropriate to and/or customized for a particular user using the entertainment system, the location at which the entertainment system is being accessed, and/or a predefined event. For example, in certain exemplary embodiments, an entertainment system in a location is configured to provide jukebox-related and entertainment system mediated services that are accessible from within and from the outside of the location, and provide (1) attract or flight media operations, (2) browsing services, and/or (3) search screens appropriate to and/or customized for a particular user using the entertainment system, the location at which the entertainment system is being accessed, and/or a predefined event. Such screens may be provided with a three-dimensional look-and-feel in certain exemplary embodiments.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/929,466 filed Jan. 26, 2011 which claims the benefit of each of U.S.Application Ser. Nos. 61/431,036 and 61/298,509, the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated herein by reference. This application alsoincorporates by reference the entire contents of U.S. application Ser.Nos. 11/902,658; 11/902,790; 12/076,761; 61/129,637; 12/222,785;12/318,864; and 61/202,617.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainment systems and, moreparticularly, certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainmentsystems that interact with users to provide access to media appropriateto improved user interfaces for such systems.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Jukeboxes have been around for decades and provide users with theability to select desired music for reproduction in a convenient andadvantageous manner. Jukeboxes have conventionally been provided incommercial establishments, such as restaurants and bars, in order toprovide desired music on demand for patrons thereof for a fee. Over thelast several years, a new generation of jukebox devices have becomeavailable that provide significant improvements in the operation thereoffor all parties involved. More specifically, the conventional standalonephonorecord and CD jukeboxes are being replaced by digital downloadingjukeboxes that are controlled by and communicate with a central server.An example of this new generation jukebox system is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 6,308,204, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference. A leading provider of this new generation of jukebox systemsis TouchTunes Music Corporation.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of an exemplary embodiment of a digitaldownloading jukebox system 10 (hereinafter referred to simply as a“jukebox system”). As shown in FIG. 1, the jukebox system 10 includes acentral server 12 that contains a master library of audio content(typically music), as well as or alternatively audiovisual content(typically music and associated video or graphics), that can bedownloaded therefrom. The jukebox system also includes a series ofremote jukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. Each of these jukebox devices aregenerally located in a bar, restaurant, club or other desired location,and are operable to play music in response to receiving a payment from auser, such as coins, bills, credit/debit card, etc., and having one ormore songs selected by the user for play. In an alternative embodiment,a music service is paid for on a subscription basis by the location, andthe selected music is free for the end-user. The jukebox device 16typically includes a screen 18 that presents information to the user andallows the user to select songs therefrom, as well as an audio system 20that plays the selected songs. The screen 18 may also be used fordisplaying song-related video or graphics. The screen 18 may also beused to display advertisements for the jukebox itself in order toattract customers thereto, to display other types of advertisements,and/or to display any other desired information.

The jukebox devices 16 (sometimes referred to as simply “jukeboxes”herein) are operable to communicate with the central server 12 through acommunications network 14, such as, for example, the Internet. Thejukeboxes 16 periodically communicate with the server 12 in order toprovide information to the server 12 regarding the specific songs thathave been played on the jukebox. The central server then uses thisinformation in order to determine the appropriate royalties and/or otherpayments that are owed for songs played on each jukebox. Thus, oneadvantage of this new generation of jukeboxes is that the soundreproduction and/or other applicable music rights can be adhered to in amore accurate and reliable manner, thereby assuring the proper royaltiesare paid to the artists or music owners. The central server 12 can alsoprovide new songs to the jukebox 16 in order to assure that theappropriate or most popular songs are maintained on the jukebox based onthe specific customers at that location. Thus, the songs available oneach jukebox can be customized through communication with the centralserver in order to provide the songs and/or types of music thatcustomers generally request at each jukebox location. As described inthe above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,204, the central server canalso advantageously be used to update the operating software on thejukeboxes in order to, for example, change the operation of the jukebox,such as to provide new or improved features. Thus, another advantage ofthis new generation of jukeboxes is that the songs (or other audioand/or visual content), and the operation of the jukebox itself can beremotely changed as desired without the need to have someone (such as arouteman) personally service the jukebox. Instead, such updates can bedone using the central server 12.

As indicated above, the jukebox devices 16 each include a mass storagedevice, such as a hard drive, which stores the songs and associatedvideo/graphics data (if any), as well as any other desired graphicalinformation for reproduction on the jukebox. The mass storage device ofthe jukebox typically has limited storage capacity relative to thestorage device of the central server 12. As a result, only a fraction ofthe songs stored on the central server are typically stored on the massstorage device of the jukebox at any one time. There may be otherreasons as well, such as for security of the data or limited room in thejukebox itself, for having limited storage capacity on the jukeboxand/or limiting the number of songs stored thereon. For example,physical space may be limited on wall-mount jukeboxes or the like, whichare designed to be small in size as compared to free-standing models. Asexplained above, the songs on the jukebox can be changed throughcommunication with the central server, but typically any one jukeboxonly stores a relatively small subset of the complete library of songsmaintained by the central server at any one time.

In order to maximize the revenue that a jukebox generates, it isimportant to make the most desired songs available on the jukebox overtime. If customers cannot find songs they like on the jukebox, usage ofthe jukebox (and the revenue generated thereby) will dramaticallydecrease. On the other hand, it is impossible to predict in advanceexactly what a customer at any particular location will desire to playon the jukebox. In fact, there are likely many instances where acustomer would have selected a song that exists on the central serverbut is not currently present on the jukebox. As a result, the jukeboxmay not be enjoyed and used to its fullest extent. In order to addressthis problem and increase revenue, jukebox systems have in the pastprovided a feature which enables the user to search for songs on thecentral server from the jukebox and request an immediate download of adesired song from the central server to the jukebox for an additionalfee. This feature enables the user to play any song in the masterlibrary of songs maintained by the central server using the jukebox,regardless of whether or not the specific song is presently stored inthe mass storage of the jukebox itself. Thus, the user can first lookfor desired songs on the local storage of the jukebox and then, ifdesired, search further on the central server for desired songs. Thejukebox device typically charges an additional fee (such as five creditsinstead on one credit) for an immediate download and play of a song fromthe central server as opposed to a standard play directly from thejukebox's local storage.

As might be discerned from the above, the “conventional wisdom” is toattempt to maximize revenues and ensure a broad-based appeal byproviding more and more media offerings or songs via a jukebox. In otherwords, the conventional wisdom and industry thinking is to makeavailable as many media offerings or songs as possible via a jukebox sothat the one jukebox will be appropriate for any venue. The theory isbased in part on the common perception that it is easier to develop asingle, standard jukebox with as many offerings as possible, than toprovide multiple different jukeboxes each making available a differentset of limited media content. This common understanding, in turn, mayhave its roots in the fact that conventional, non-digital jukeboxesclearly had severely limited repertoires and that even many earlydigital jukeboxes has expanded repertoires that were still limited bylicensing and accounting requirements, download speeds, etc.

The inventors of the instant application have recently discovered thatthe conventional wisdom no longer is entirely accurate and that theunderlying assumptions are somewhat flawed. For example, the inventorsof the instant application have recently discovered that providing moreand more media offerings is not necessarily desirable in all instances.This discovery is based, in part, on the inventors' recognition thatproviding more and more offerings means providing more and moreopportunities for patrons to play music that is inconsistent with theauthenticity or identity of a location. For instance, the authenticityand identity of a “biker bar” can be severely undermined if a patronwere to play what could be considered pop or “teeny-bopper” music, justas a country line dancing venue might have its authenticity and identityundermined if hip hop and rhythm and blues songs were played. Theinventors of the instant application have experienced difficultiesproviding jukeboxes in locations for these vary reasons. Surprisinglyand unexpectedly, the inventors' experiences provide evidence that theability to selectively “filter” music by excluding songs, genres, and/orthe like often is seen as an unacceptable, incomplete, and/or otherwiseundesirable to proprietors of locations.

Apart from or in addition to the actual media being played, theinventors of the instant application have also discovered that thephysical appearance of the utilitarian jukebox is sometimes undesirable.Indeed, the inventors of the instant application have discovered thatthe physical appearance of a jukebox or jukebox terminal can beundesirable simply because the device itself looks like a jukebox (e.g.,has a payment acceptor, a touch screen display that selectively operatesin an “attract mode,” includes flashing and/or otherwise changing neonlights, etc.). In a perhaps related matter, the inventors of the instantapplication have discovered that the content displayed on a jukebox orjukebox terminal also may be considered undesirable. As above, thephysical appearance of the jukebox device and/or content displayed onthe jukebox device may threaten to undermine the authenticity oridentity of a location. As a perhaps more concrete example, it has beenobserved by the inventors of the instant application that so-called“ultralounges” typically react negatively towards the visual appearancesof conventional jukeboxes. As another example, the inventors of theinstant application have discovered that the “wrong” types ofadvertisements and/or media may be displayed at a given location as, forexample, ultralounges stereotypically find it more desirable and“authentic” to display attractive men and women wearing fashionableclothing and accessories as compared to album art, concertadvertisements, etc.

Still another discovery that the inventors of the instant applicationhave made is that the conventional ways that people typically discovermusic (including songs, artists, etc.) are becoming outmoded. Inaddition to, or rather than, watching a music television station such asMTV or the like, listening to the radio, or paying attention toadvertisements, potential patrons are discovering music in new anddifferent ways. User interfaces that enable patrons to browse or searchfor music on a jukebox device typically enable browsing and/or searchingbased on artist name, song name, album, and/or the like. But suchtechniques do not necessarily result in the patron being exposed to newor different music and is still another conventional technique for musicdiscovery. The inventors of the instant application have realized thattoday's potential patrons oftentimes are more interested in musicdiscovered through non-traditional social networking outlets and/orthrough pure “buzz” generated on the Internet or through such socialnetworking outlets.

Given the above discoveries and realizations, it will be appreciatedthat further improvements to jukebox devices can be made. It also willbe appreciated that some or all of such improvements are contrary toaccepted wisdom and/or industry-standard practice. For instance,providing more limited media selections probably would be seen as a“step back” when viewed through the lens of conventional thinking,whereas the inventors have realized that it actually may be consideredmore desirable by some to provide a more limited selection whenattempting to preserve the authenticity and/or identity of a location.As another example, jukebox devices conventionally have been viewed ashaving one of several “classic designs” and digital jukebox devices havebeen designed to be “updates” to such classic designs, whereas theinventors have realized that jukeboxes are perhaps not as utilitarian orubiquitous as they have been viewed. Still further, it will beappreciated that conventional browsing and/or searching techniques maybe updated and/or replaced, e.g., to reflect newer ways that potentialpatrons discover and experience music.

Certain exemplary embodiments provide improvements in the form ofdigital jukebox devices with techniques for providing appropriate and/orcustomized media, and associated methods. For instance, certainexemplary embodiments may (1) provide “inclusive” filtering techniques,(2) display appropriate jukebox user interface screens and offerappropriate jukebox content, and/or (3) enable discovery of musicthrough new portals such as new media or social networking sites, andpure buzz, etc. Certain exemplary embodiments may provide (1) attract orflight media operations, (2) browsing services, and/or (3) searchscreens appropriate to and/or customized for a particular user using theentertainment system, the location at which the entertainment system isbeing accessed, and/or a predefined event. Such exemplary embodimentsare enabled using enabled through metadata associated with recognizedjukebox users, locations, instances of media, and/or particular eventsor locations (e.g., for a short period of time such as, for example, asingle disco night). In brief, criteria may be selected for inclusion,e.g., by location staff. Such criteria may be associated with metadataassociated with media to provide for selective inclusion of some media,a look-and-feel of the user interface, etc. Once an initially restrictedset of media is selected for inclusion, metadata associated with apatron using the jukebox may further selectively limit the pool of mediaavailable to a given patron. Finally, metadata associated with an eventmay still further selectively limit the pool of media available to allpatrons for a period of time. In this way, certain exemplary embodimentsmay begin with a master set of media provided for the overall jukeboxsystem. However, the set of media available for a given location may beinitially selected by specifying inclusion criteria. An optionalcustom-defined event may have metadata associated with it so as tospecify yet further inclusion criteria. The overlap of the mediaavailable for the location by virtue of the initially selection and themedia associated with the optional custom-defined event may then beavailable for playback on the jukebox(es) available at the particularlocation. Furthermore, when a recognized user uses the jukebox, metadataassociated with the user may be used to define yet a further overlap(e.g., as in the case of three-circle Venn Diagram). The ultimateoverlap may be used to limit the options available, reorder the optionsavailable to the recognized user (e.g., so that new songs are displayedfirst, favorite songs are displayed first, etc.).

The inclusion criteria set by a location and/or by a user may bemedia-specific in certain exemplary embodiments. For instance, inclusioncriteria may be indicative of a genre, artist or artists,instrumentation, media popularity indexed to an outside source (e.g.,Billboard Charts, plays via a social networking site such as MySpace,information gleaned from a recognized user's Facebook friends, funnyvideos presented on YouTube or Break.com, etc.). It will be appreciatedthat media-specific criteria is specific to a particular instance ofmedia. The inclusion criteria set by a location and/or by a user may bemedia-independent in certain exemplary embodiments. For instance, incertain exemplary embodiments, inclusion criteria may relate to order(newest music first regardless of popularity, most played music last,etc.), and/or the like. Such inclusion criteria may be consideredmedia-independent in the sense that it may constitute data that is notnecessarily tied to any specific or particular instance of media.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a user interface may be provided thatconveys a three-dimensional (3D) effect. Such a user interface may helpconvey a greater sense of delving “into” the media. For instance, entry,zoom, and exit effects may be provided for media in a flight state inconnection with certain exemplary embodiments. In browsing and/or searchscreens, media may be displayed so that it appears to zoom in or outbased on, for instance, relevance, current selection, criteria matching,etc., in certain exemplary embodiments.

In general, certain exemplary embodiments relate to the inclusion ofinnovative user interface that help immerse the user in an interactivejukebox world where user interface elements help provide formulti-dimensional interaction with collections of instances of media,synchronized external and/or internal lightshow feedback and/orprojection, play queue reveal and/or manipulation, blurring/focusing ofelements, synchronized lyrics display etc. Certain exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein also include cameras and/or LEDs that may help, forexample, enable artist and/or patron likenesses to be used orincorporated into jukebox interfaces, cameras to be leveraged in attractor flight modes or to serve as mirrors, lighting elements to be used ascamera flashes, LEDs to simulate tactile feedback for touch screendisplays or patron welcome display messages, provide a jukebox-basedsecurity system, apply contextual ads, etc. Adaptive auto-completesearch recommendations may be provided in certain exemplary embodiments,as may set lists and/or enhanced collection type browsing.

The exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages disclosed herein maybe provided in any suitable combination or sub-combination to achieveyet further exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the instantinvention will be further understood by review of the following detaileddescription of the exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction withthe appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional downloading digital jukeboxsystem;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an improvedjukebox system 10′;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing flight content resolution inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing display group resolution inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flight segment appearing in one anchor point and moving andzooming to appear closer to the user in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates browsing a music collection for a given artist inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates browsing a music collection by artist and album inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8a illustrates a set of eight (8) example tags associated with“artist 6” in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8b is a wireframe used to construct an example music map on ajukebox display in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating one arrangement that may enablecustom browse state and other features to be implemented in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a 3D visualization of a recommended song collection inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an illustrative screen showing how objects may be navigatedin accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an illustrative screen showing how an object may be expandedupon selection in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 is another illustrative screen showing how objects may benavigated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an illustrative screen showing how a user may enter lyrics toreduce the number of songs being proposed for playback in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation showing how songs may be selectedfor presentation to a user in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for determiningwhich content should be available for playback on a jukebox based onlocation-specific inclusion criteria and actual jukebox usage inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for initiallysetting up a jukebox in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for customizingthe display for a recognized user in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for customizingthe display for a special event in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 20a is a first example “artist portal” in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 20b is a second example “artist portal” in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 21 is an example of a partial or incremental presentation of thejukebox's play queue in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 22a uses a colorized “blob” to highlight the center selection,whereas other non-patron selectable elements may be blurred, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 22b shows the enlargement of an album jacket to highlight itsselection, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 22c shows the enlargement of an album jacket to highlight itsselection, and further blurs background UI elements to help bring focusto the selected album, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIGS. 23a-d show example screenshots of a kinetic motion display inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 24 is an example screenshot of an improved music discovery userinterface in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIGS. 25a-b show components of a jukebox device in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 26 is an image of an example jukebox device in accordance withcertain example embodiments;

FIG. 27 is an illustrative view of visual components on a jukebox devicebeing color matched and synchronized in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplaryembodiment of an improved jukebox system 10′. The jukebox system 10′includes similar elements as shown in FIG. 1 and described above,including a central server 12, communications network 14, and remotejukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. However, the jukebox system 10′ furtherincludes local servers 22, 22 a-22 f respectively connected to each ofthe jukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. The central server 12 includes amaster library of songs (and/or other content). Each of the jukeboxdevices includes a subset of the master library on a local storagedevice of the jukebox. The central server may be used to individuallymanage the contents of the jukebox device, by monitoring usage of andupdating the subset of songs on each of the jukebox devices with theintent of maximizing the usage thereof The central server 12periodically receives data from each of the jukeboxes for the purpose ofroyalty accounting and payment for songs played. The jukebox devices mayconnect to the network in any suitable manner, such as dial-up modem orbroadband modem (e.g., DSL, cable, wireless broadband, or satellite).The communications network 14 may be any suitable network capable ofdistributing data (e.g., audiovisual data) from the central server 12 tothe jukeboxes 16 and enabling data to be uploaded from the jukeboxes 16to the central server 12.

The songs (and/or other data) may be digitized, compressed and encryptedby the central server 12 prior to sending songs to the jukeboxes forsecurity and bandwidth purposes using known techniques. The songs arethen decompressed and decrypted by the jukeboxes for storage andreproduction thereon. Thus, each of the jukeboxes maintains in adatabase a library of digitized songs for play on the jukebox, whereinthe library can be changed or updated through communication by thecentral server. The jukeboxes may also receive and store dataconstituting images (e.g., still and/or moving video and/or graphicalimages) that can be displayed on the display 18 of the jukebox device16. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the jukebox deviceshave similar structure and operation described in U.S. Pat. No.6,308,204 referenced above. Thus, the jukebox devices 16 each mayinclude one or more microprocessors, such as a main CPU and an audioDSP, a memory, such as a hard drive, for storing songs and/or othercontent, a display of displaying visual items, an audio arrangement 20for providing audio, a communication system for enabling the jukebox tocommunicate with the central server 12 through the communicationsnetwork 14, and operating software, including a multitasking operatingsystem, that controls the operation of the jukebox. The operatingsoftware also may be updateable through communication with the centralserver 12 as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,204referenced above. The jukeboxes 16 further include one or more paymentdevices, such as coin, bill and/or credit card input devices, forenabling a customer to pay for usage of the jukebox device in aconvenient manner. The screen 18 may be a touch screen that enables theuser to input selections by touching the screen.

Each jukebox device has, in one embodiment, a local server 22 that canbe accessed by the jukebox device. The local servers are respectivelyconnected to the jukebox devices using Ethernet or other type of localconnection. In another embodiment, the local server may simply be alogical extension (e.g. partition, directory, or area) of the jukebox'shard drive, rather than a separate hardware device. The local servers 22may each include a mirror copy of the master library of musicalrecordings maintained by the central server 12. The local server 22 canbe loaded with the master library by the entity that owns and/orcontrols the jukebox network prior to shipping the local server andjukebox device to the jukebox distributor or operator. Of course, overtime, the local sever will no longer correspond identically to thecentral server, due to the fact that the central server may becontinually updated with additional or new songs. Thus, the localservers 22 also may be updated periodically to maintain a correspondencewith the library on the central server 12. This updating can be done,for example, by the central server 12 through communication with thejukebox devices connected with the local servers 22 using, for example,either dial-up or broadband modems. Alternatively, the updating can bedone personally with an update tool that can be connected by a routemanor other person directly to the jukebox or local server for the purposeof updating the contents of the local server. The portable tool couldinclude a removable storage medium, such as a hard drive, that could bereturned to and reused by the owner of the jukebox system for futureupdates. The tool itself could be kept by the operator or other personin charge of maintaining specific jukeboxes for use upon receipt of theupdated removable storage medium from the owner of the jukebox system.

For security reasons, the local server 22 may not include all of thedigital data that constitutes any one song that is stored on the localserver 22. In addition, the part of the song that is on the local serveris encrypted. The jukebox device 16 contains the missing part of each ofthe songs on the local server, thereby enabling the jukebox to assemblethe complete song based on the contents of the local server and thememory on the jukebox device. The missing data located on the jukebox isneeded in order to decrypt the songs. For example, a single block (orother small fraction) of data for each song may be missing on the localserver but present on the jukebox device, and the encryption may bebased on the missing block and may proceed on a block by block basis.Thus, none of the blocks can be decrypted without obtaining and/ordecrypting a preceding block. This feature provides significant securityand prevents or deters theft or other type of unauthorized use orcopying of the songs on the local server. Thus, in this embodiment, eachlocal server must be specifically assigned to a specific jukebox deviceso that the decryption described above can be properly performed.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the local servers may alsoeach be individually registered with and identified to the centralserver 12, so that the central server can individually manage andmonitor each local server. The same is true for the jukebox deviceitself, i.e., it may also be registered with the central server so thatit too can be individually monitored and managed by the central server.As will be understood from the foregoing description, the local serversbecome an important and advantageous part of the jukebox system byallowing the contents thereof to be accessed by the jukebox device toprovide additional services (such as providing additional songs) notavailable on the jukebox device itself. As will be explained below, thesong library of the central server and/or the storage capacity itselfcan be advantageously used to provide services to other jukeboxes, suchas fee-based residential and commercial jukeboxes and/or other fee-basedequipment. One use of the local servers may be to provide an immediatesong downloading feature.

As indicated above, certain exemplary embodiments include a newthree-dimensional user interface for exploring and browsing mediacontent, e.g., using a touch-screen. Given an arbitrary collection ofcontent (e.g., music, video, advertisement, and/or other content), thenew user interface may create a multi-dimensional (e.g., two- orthree-dimensional) visualization virtual space, which allows the user tofreely navigate in this collection. This type of navigation isfacilitated in certain exemplary embodiments by using a social taggingmodel and/or collaborative popularity model.

Certain exemplary embodiments are described as implementing touch areasensing techniques. That is, in a sense, certain exemplary embodimentsobtain a location a direction and a speed of a sensed touch. Using thisdata, certain exemplary embodiments may cause the prominent object planeto be moved forward or backwards in the object presentation by movingthe touch forward (upwards) were backward (downwards) or selected by aswipe to the left or right. In addition, or in the alternative, byholding a touch for a period of time greater than some threshold(greater than 2 seconds, for example), a choice that is represents itcould be presented.

The space is the general presentation area on which all graphic elementsare presented. Collections generally refer to logical collections ofmedia and may be subject to preferential filtering, e.g., to present andmake available only media that satisfies criteria for different levelsof actors. They may sometimes be represented by graphic images. Objectsgenerally refer to songs, artists, playlists, games, or media sourcesthat are represented in a sequence from a central catalog. Objects thatare presented may sometimes be thought of as being subject to a matchbetween the user or locations preferences and the attributes of theobject was being browsed. As described in certain of assignee'sco-pending applications (which are referenced above), an authenticationmechanism may be provided to, among other things, identify the user andprovide security credential authorization. In the context of certainexemplary embodiments, the authentication action may superimposeuser-based preferential filtering over location-based preferentialfiltering. When user-based preferential filtering is in effect, it mayfurther reduce whatever filtering has been imposed by the locationattributes. Once authenticated, new collections such as playlists,favorite games, interrupted games, chat sessions, records of mediaconsumption, high scores, etc., may become available as new possiblecollections to be presented as objects in the object viewer.

As alluded to above, in certain exemplary embodiments, the spaceoperates in three states. In the flight state, a programmed series ofmedia segments are presented based on the behavior of the jukebox andcentralized media preparation activities. In the browsing state, usersbrowse collections through a variety of different modes with the goal ofselecting a media item for action. Media items typically include songs,games, and/or other content. In the search state, patrons enter datathrough a virtual keyboard and option panel or other appropriate inputmechanism to directly locate media items that satisfy the searchcriteria and the preferential filtering in effect at that location. Itwill be appreciated that these states are exemplary and that theseand/or other states may be provided in any suitable combination orsub-combination in different embodiments of this invention. In anyevent, illustrative details of exemplary flight, browse, and searchstates will be provided, in turn, below.

Details regarding an example flight state will now be provided. As willbe appreciated, for jukeboxes, and music systems in general, only aportion of every day is spent interacting directly or wirelessly withthe user who is searching for or playing a song. Most of the time, thelighting and display apparatus are engaged in presenting a sequence ofvideo images. The goal of the video images is to attract users to thesystem, make them aware that the device is in fact a user controlledmusic service or jukebox, present advertisements and public serviceannouncements, and/or to promote the system itself showing new features,new media available, and to promote artists and their works.

A problem with jukeboxes today is that they offer a largely homogenouspresentation across a particular network. This means that the visualspresented may be wholly inappropriate for many of the locations in whichit is installed. Perhaps more importantly, many restaurants or specialtybars or lounges have invested significant resources in creating aspecific mood and appearance to attract and satisfy their intendedclientele. As commercial music systems increasingly offer larger andlarger screen display areas, the opportunity exists to tune theappearance of a jukebox via its visuals to a particular type oflocation. In addition, the larger screen area presents an opportunity tosupport increasingly sophisticated digital signage applicationsinterleaved with the visual theme for the location. The downside risk ofnot responding to implicit or explicit requests for customized designsin order to make the jukebox blend in with the overall environmentrelates to having the idea of a jukebox placed in the location rejectedout of hand.

One solution to this challenge is to offer custom flight packages, whichmay be thought of as being collections of video and composite imagerythat are “authentic” to or otherwise “in tune with” the sensibilities oflocation. For example, a sophisticated urban Martini lounge could beprovided with an urban, chic collection of videos appropriate for thelocation. A country and western bar could be provided a cowboy thememore in keeping with the surroundings. This has at least twoadvantageous effects on the industry. First, it opens up an entirely newpopulation of venue types to the music service. Second, combined withsophisticated venue music styles, it creates a music system that hasboth a look and a sound that is appropriate for the clientele the venueoperator seeks to attract and please.

In certain exemplary embodiments, flights may be composed of individualvideo segments. Video segments may occupy all or a portion of theavailable screen area and may be overlaid with other video segments ofdiffering duration. Video segments may be resident within the musicsystem in certain exemplary embodiments (e.g., having been distributedfrom a central server in advance), or they may be dynamically retrievedfrom music server or other content providers in certain other exemplaryembodiments. In still other exemplary embodiments, channels that may betuned into may be provided. Each flight may have a duration after whichthe flight would repeat. As such, it may be desirable to include dynamiccontent so as to keep the presentation fresh and interesting.

Video segments may be generally classified as being editorial oradvertising. Editorial segments are generally seen as informative oramusing facts intended to engage viewers and encourage use of the musicsystem, either directly or through a remote access device. Advertisingsegments are generally seen as being dynamically presented based onadvertising materials located on the music system or on a remote server.

Flights can be thought of as a timeline where each segment represents adisplayable group. Displayable groups are independent data systemsdesigned to resolve the requirement for editorial or advertisingcontent. A displayable group may be resolved in a single step where onlyone editorial segment satisfies the criteria of the displayable group,or a displayable group may require a great many rules and references toultimately resolve the correct video segment to be presented.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing flight content resolution inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a schematic viewshowing display group resolution in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. As can be seen from FIG. 3, a flight content resolutionservice 302 may resolve the flight content to be displayed from avariety of sources such as, for example, local content 304, servercontent 306, and/or web-based content 308 sources. The resolved flightcontent may be displayed on a screen 310. In the FIG. 3 exemplaryembodiments, the “current” segment is provided in the center of thescreen 312 a and retreats into the background 312 b to make room for a“new” segment entering in the foreground 312 c. For example, each videosegment 312 may have an anchor position, a timeline, and an endinganchor position. This may help provide the ability to add motion and theillusion of three-dimensional space to the presentation. Thisinformation may be scripted in accordance with a predefined metadataformat.

FIG. 4 may be thought of as a graphical representation of a script, forinstance. That is, a flight control table 402 includes plural segments404 a, 404 b, . . . 404 n. These segments may involve displayableelements that, in turn, may include further displayable elements. Thedisplayable elements in other words may be nested within each other,e.g., in dependence on a script. A “sub-display element” embedded withina display element may be programmed to move within that display element,across display elements, between segments, etc. Transitions thus may bedefined as between segments, and as between display elements, and asbetween display elements across segments, in exemplary embodiments.

As a simple example, FIG. 5 is a flight segment appearing in one anchorpoint 502 a and moving and zooming to a second anchor point 502 b appearcloser to the user in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Theflight segments may also enter and/or exit with transitions. It will beappreciated that anchor points and zooming may be from top to bottom,bottom to top, left to right, right to left, in or out, etc., and neednot necessarily go from bottom to top when giving additional focus to anew content piece (e.g., as in the FIG. 5 example). Movements also maybe more complicated in certain exemplary embodiments, e.g., includingspiral-type movements, arbitrary movements, random or seemingly randomtype movements, etc.

As alluded to above (e.g., in connection with FIG. 4), a displayablegroup may contain one or more displayable groups. In other words, thedisplayable group resolution process may be recursive or nested incertain exemplary implementations. By maintaining a one-to-manyrelationship for each flight segment, it may be possible to createdynamic, engaging flights and reduce the effort of producing the contentto satisfy all the permutations and combinations of a large displaynetwork. Once resolved, video segments of transition attributes forappearance and disappearance may be consulted to help control theappearance of multiple segments.

Until now, it has been extremely difficult or impossible to provide thistype customized content across a large-scale network because of theenormous manual labor involved with strict playlist-based systems. Theintroduction of display groups and the recursive nature provides theability for the display system to make systematic substitutions forcontent based on a combination of venue attributes, patron interaction,content availability, flight segment mix, etc.

Periodically, during the flight, a segment may resolve to a displayablegroup that encourages a patron to use the system. Once a system istouched, the flight mode may be altered. Once the user enters browse orsearch state, resolution and presentation of flight segments may berestricted to content that is of a space and duration appropriate forcoexistence with the browse or search screen displays. For example,based on a setting, editorial content segments could be deferred untilthe end of the interactive session, but advertising result segmentscould be presented. In different examples, the flight could beinterrupted and resume only after the interactive session was completed,or the flight could stop and a new flight specifically intended forpresentation during interactive sessions could begin. In any event, theflights may conform to a style that is consistent with attributes of thevenue created when last configured.

As identified above, the need for content reducing, personalizing,and/or features is becoming increasingly important as music collectionsgrow in size and diversity. The browse and search features are a part ofthe new, natural 3D user interface described herein. This user interfaceis designed to help patrons find new music, re-find forgotten music,create coherent playlists, and/or the like. The new 3D interface isdesigned to be intuitive, engaging, and entertaining. The followingdescriptions provide additional details regarding the interactive 3Dvisualization techniques of certain exemplary embodiments that allowusers to explore the overall music space, receive recommendations formusic, login to social networking sites, and generate coherent playlist.These descriptions are provided in the context of exemplary browsing andsearch states mentioned above.

In the browsing state, users can browse the music collection by artist,by album, by song title, or by genre. In terms of exploring the musicspace, album artwork or jackets have always been a part of local contentbrowsing. However, browsing content residing on the central serverrelies mainly on artist name. The interface of certain exemplaryembodiments may help unify local content and central server content, aswell as content available only from social networking sites, via“play-only” licenses (e.g., where content can only be streamed from asource and cannot be saved locally or on a remote server aside, perhaps,from limited music buffering), etc. Thus, music exploration may bedriven by a combination of artist name and artist artwork in certainexemplary embodiments. The combination of artist and/or artist artworkbased-discovery is advantageous in that there is a trend away frompatrons recognizing albums and instead associating music with a strongbrand or image (e.g., often an image of an artist, which helps explainthe increasing incidence of artists putting their own likenesses ontheir album covers). For instance, FIG. 6 illustrates browsing a musiccollection for a given artist in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment, and FIG. 7 illustrates browsing a music collection by artistand album in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

In FIG. 6, for example, a user can drag albums or a screen location tothe left or right to “flip through” different albums. FIG. 6 is more“traditional” in the sense that it sorts music for a particular artistby album. Any album may be directly selectable in certain exemplaryembodiments, whereas only the center album (which has the focus) may beselectable in certain other exemplary embodiments. In any event, theability to drag or swipe left and right makes the albums appear as ifthey are coming into the foreground as the approach the center and arefading into the background as they move away from the center. In thisway, it is possible to simulate a more three-dimensional look-and-feel,and provide more of a sense of immersion when interacting with the userinterface. In certain exemplary embodiments, similar albums may begrouped more closely to one another, whereas more disparate albums maybe located more remote from one another. In certain exemplaryembodiments, newer albums may be grouped more closely to one anotherand/or may be initially provided at the center. In general, generaljukebox location and/or user preferences that are specifically enteredand/or inferred from actual or predicted usage may be used to controlthe arrangement of the albums in the continuum presented in the FIG. 6exemplary embodiment.

New music first; most popular music first; user, location, or “hyped”albums first; rarely played albums first; and/or the like are alldisplay/arrangement paradigms that may be specifically entered orinferred from actual or predicted usage and further may be implementedin connection with certain exemplary embodiments. It will be appreciatedthat multiple albums for multiple artists may be presented in a singleFIG. 6 like arrangement, with similar artists and/or albums beinggrouped together (e.g., based on metadata or user tags associated withthe artists, songs, albums, etc.) and/or displayed in accordance withthe jukebox location and/or user specific parameters identified above.Furthermore, it will be appreciated that some forms of collections mayplace more than one object of the collection on each virtual plane ofthe series of virtual planes. In certain exemplary embodiments, a sorttype may be specified or predefined, and metadata associated with thealbums, songs, artists, jukebox plays, etc., may be consulted such thata processor of the jukebox is able to automatically generate the orderand arrangement for the items to be displayed.

In FIG. 7, each artist is associated with a 3D object representing theartist name and artist artwork. Each artist object can have any numberof albums. Albums related to the same artist form a group that satisfiesa relationship constraint. When an artist object is moved in the 3Dscene, all descendants in the scene graph move with it. The constraintrelationships are stored in a graph called the scene graph, described ingreater detail below. Similarly, each album may have any number of songsassociated therewith. In the FIG. 7 exemplary embodiment, artists can bemoved up and down to control inward and outward movement, respectively,and albums can be moved left or right to control the card shuffle likearrangement shown in FIG. 7. The albums displayed may update with theselection of an artist, and/or vice versa. This sort of collection viewmode may alter one of more of the images, video segments, and text thatis/are presented as the representative of each song, albums, artists,games, or content sources. In one version of the view mode for artists,the artist name may be presented in text along with an image of theartist that is different from an album cover. In one exemplaryimplementation, this image may be a promotional image that has recentlybeen released by the label and is updated periodically. In certainexemplary embodiments, the collection viewer may not present an artistthat does not match a sufficient number of the user recommendationproperties regardless of whether it is available through the device orthe network service.

The exemplary displays in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be enabled by mapping eachaxis to a characteristic of the music. For instance, one, two, andthree-dimensional displays may enable a user to move in differentdirections, with each axis being mapped to a particular value in a dataset of characteristics, and with the displayed items (e.g., albumjackets or other identifiers) being updated as the user interacts withthe display. X, Y, and Z axes may be used for a three-dimensionalbrowsing experience, for example. In addition, or in the alternative(e.g., for 2D browsing), size, color, blurriness, and/or other effectsmay be applied with similar effect. Each element to be displayed may beassigned a depth value for each axis. As on example, album jackets maybe displayed alphabetically by artist, song, album name, etc., on afirst axis (with the alphabetical order being a first depth value),whereas song release date may be provided on a second axis, etc. (withthe year being a second depth value). In this particular example, a usermay move left and right to scroll between a first alphabeticalarrangement of artists or albums (along the first alphabetical orderdepth value), whereas the user may move in or out to move forward orbackward in time (along the second year depth value), e.g., to provide asense of time tied to song or album release date, etc. This may helpcreate the sensation of a curated, temporal browsing experience.

Of course, it will be appreciated that other characteristics also may beused such as, for example, beats per minute, genres, etc. It also willbe appreciated that the depth values may be numeric in nature (e.g., asin the case with release date), representable in connection with numericvalues (e.g., for names), or discrete in nature (e.g., for genres). Fordiscrete values, discrete selections may be made. However, even discretevalues like genres can be represented on a continuum, as rap and hip hopmay be thought of as being “closer” to one another than they are tocountry or zydeco, for example.

The characteristics that are used to assign depth values may be obtainedas metadata, e.g., from an outside provider, gathered from socialnetworking cites (e.g., by examining a recognized jukebox user'spreferences, “favorites,” “pages,” etc., and expanding that searchoutwardly to the user's friends' preferences up to a predeterminednumber of degrees), developed based on the usage of one or morejukeboxes, etc. The originating metadata may be stored in a database orother suitable non-transitory computer readable storage medium. It maybe incorporated into the music catalog directly, a link to theoriginating metadata source or an outside data structure having thedepth values may be incorporated into the music catalog or accessed bythe jukebox upon a corresponding display request, etc. Furtherinformation regarding potential metadata sources is provided below.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a jukebox device comprises a display;a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality ofinstances of media available for playback on or via the jukebox device;and at least one processor configured to cause a user interface to bedisplayed on the display and further configured to respond to inputs tothe user interface. The user interface comprises a display areaincluding virtual axes defining a coordinate space in which individualsong, artist, and/or album items are to be displayed.

Each individual song, artist, and/or album item has a plurality ofcharacteristics associated therewith, each said axis is associated withone of said characteristics so that each individual song, artist, and/oralbum item has a defined location in the coordinate space,. The displayarea is updatable in response to user input corresponding to movementwithin the coordinate space. The coordinate space may betwo-dimensional, three-dimensional, substantially linear, etc., indifferent embodiments.

In certain implementations, items are arranged alphabetically along afirst axis and chronologically along a second axis. In certainimplementations, a release date associated with the item determines theitem's positioning along the second axis. Discrete areas of one saidaxis may be designated for a predefined arrangement of discrete genres,and the predefined arrangement of discrete genres may be decomposableinto a predetermined sub-arrangement of discrete sub-genres. Thediscrete genres may be grouped such that based on degrees of similaritytherebetween such that similar genres are provided in closer relativeproximity to one another as compared to disparate genres. Elements maybe grouped alone one axis based on popularity in certain exemplaryembodiments.

Song items may be selectable so as to trigger their playback, display apopup screen enabling the user to confirm that the selected song is tobe played back, etc. Upon detecting an album or artist selection,movement within the coordinate space may be caused such that theselected item is centered therein.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments.

Similarly, having a database that contains a set of user orautomatically generated descriptive words or “tags” associated for eachartist, album and song titles, may enable certain exemplary embodimentsto visually represent music collections in an interesting way. Forinstance, FIG. 8a illustrates a set of eight (8) example tags associatedwith “artist 6” in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Each time auser presses and holds a music object such as artist artwork (e.g., inFIG. 6 or in FIG. 7), an album artwork or a song title label for aperiod of time greater than a predefined threshold, a set of floatingobjects may be displayed, e.g., as shown in FIG. 8 a.

Each tag may be represented by one of the floating objects. The size ofthe floating objects may in certain exemplary embodiments correspond tothe weight of the tag. The weight may represent how important orrelevant that word is for that music object. The weighting may bedetermined by a source such as an authorized user, based on anaggregation of user-specified tags, a predefined formula that balancesfactors such as, for example, genre, release date, user-specifiedinformation, etc. The tags may be based on how many people have taggedan item a certain way, how a trusted metadata source has tagged it, etc.

Clicking on one floating object may in certain exemplary embodimentsdisplay more music objects sharing the same tag. The resultingcollection may represent similar artists, albums, or songs by means ofthe selected tag. For example, clicking on tag 3 in FIG. 8a may presenta collection of artists filtered by tag 3 using a user interfacedepicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8b is a wireframe used to construct an example music map on ajukebox display in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Among otherthings, the FIG. 8b screen represents a “visualizer” display inaccordance with the display techniques described above. In the FIG. 8bexample, a main area provides a three-dimensional user interactablearea. Items are arranged and displayed in accordance with the techniquesdescribed above. An overview area 802 provides the user with anintuitive feel as to how the display is organized on a larger basisshowing, for example, the elements within genres (jazz, rock, and pop),how those elements have relative sizes and locations, how the genres arerelated or organized in relation to one another, etc. These nodes 800may be user selectable so as to traverse genres, artists, albums, etc.,and they may be sized base don tags, e.g., as described above. A “nodehistory” section 804 provides a search history that is related to theuser's movements (and thus implied search methodology) and enables quickjumping back to locations within the overall music map. Breadcrumbs 806may display a more focused path rather than a more detailed traversal ofall nodes visited, e.g., as in the node history section 804.

The illustrative wireframe shown in FIG. 8b includes other elements suchas, for example, a leader 808 indicating the name of the establishment,a main advertisement leaderboard 810, an indication of the songcurrently playing 812, an indication of the user current logged in 814,and a “set list” 806 of the user. Further details regarding set listsare provided below. A text-based search area 818 also is provided, as isa multi-area semi-circular display for enabling a user to selectdifferent collections and/or sort different selected collections. Thequestions of what media is to be displayed and how such media is to bedisplayed have been partially answered above. However, a more completedescription will be provided below. With respect to the former question,location-specific inclusion criteria may be specified and matched withsong metadata so as to define a “rough” master list for a location incertain exemplary embodiments. This location-specific master list may be“refined” based on metadata associated with a recognized user and/orbased on jukebox usage over time in certain exemplary embodiments.Finally, the location-specific mater list (with or without having beenrefined with recognized user information) may be wholly or partiallyoverridden by a custom-defined event (e.g., a disco or other themenight, private party, etc.).

With respect to the latter question as to how media is to be displayed,it will be appreciated that the emphasis of certain exemplaryembodiments evolves away from album art and towards “stronger”identities or branding associated with an individual song or groups ofsongs and typically associated with an artist or an artist's likeness.In any event, a “rough” ordering may be based on location-specificcriteria such as, for example, newest music first, Billboard's mostpopular music first, most popular at location last, etc. As above, thisinformation may be “refined” based on metadata associated with arecognized user and/or based on jukebox usage over time in certainexemplary embodiments. For instance, criteria may be new music first,pop music last, music played by, listened to, or rated highly by friends(and friends' friends, etc.) first, music most played on MySpace first,etc. And, as above, overriding event parameters also may be provided(e.g., to place an emphasis on new music, independent artists, 80s hairbands, etc.).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating one arrangement that may enablecustom browse state and other features to be implemented in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 9, a jukebox 902 is connected to alocal database 904 that stores content. This local database 904 may beintegrated in to the jukebox 902 in certain exemplary embodiments. Thejukebox 902 itself provides a user session and at least initiallyreceives information regarding the location's profile. The location'sprofile information ultimately may be uploaded to a central server 906to which the jukebox 902 is connected. The central server 906, in turn,may be operable connected to a centralized database 908 of media, and itmay store tag, metadata, user profile, and/or other information. Asshown in FIG. 9, the jukebox 902 is directed connected to socialnetworks 910 such as, for example, MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm, and/orthe like. Each of these social networks may maintain its own tag,metadata, user profile, event, and/or other information. A middlewarecomponent (not shown) may help the jukebox interface with the socialnetworking sites and the information associated therewith (e.g., tosearch for, retrieve, update, and/or otherwise manipulate the data). Incertain exemplary embodiments, the jukebox 902 may not be directlyconnected to the social networks 910 and, in certain exemplaryembodiments, the central server 906 may function as a gateway to thesocial networks 910. This arrangement may be advantageous in certainexemplary implementations, as the central server 906 may serve as abuffer or de facto firewall between the social networking sites 910 andthe jukebox 902. This arrangement also may be advantageous in certainexemplary implementations, as the data retrieved from the socialnetworking sites 910 may be of potential value to multiple jukeboxes(e.g., in a broader jukebox system), and storing and processing thisinformation on a central server 906 may be desirable to reduce the loadson individual jukeboxes, particularly where common information can beshared.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a method of recommending a song to auser is provided. The method may comprise: enabling a user to log in toa jukebox device; determining musical preferences of the user based on asocial networking site profile of the user, the social networking siteprofile identifying at least one artist, song, and/or genre; providingthe determined musical preferences of the user to a recommendationengine to develop at least one recommendation; and providing therecommendation to the user on the jukebox device.

In certain exemplary embodiments, musical preferences of friends of theuser may be determined based on social networking site profiles of thefriends, and the determined musical preferences of the friends of theuser may be provided to the recommendation engine in developing the atleast one recommendation. The determining of the musical preferences maybe expanded to friends of the user and friends of friends within apredetermined number of degrees of separation (e.g., 1, 2, etc.), andthe expanded determinations may be provided to the recommendation enginein developing the at least one recommendation.

Profile information corresponding to the location in which the jukeboxdevice is located also may be of use in developing the at least onerecommendation. Such profile information may be maintained on a centralserver, for example and, similarly, at least one processor of thecentral server may help determine musical preference data via a socialnetworking interface provided thereto. In certain example embodiments, aplurality of social networking sites may be consulted to determinemusical preferences of the user, with each said social networking sitehaving an associated social networking site profile for the user.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments.Having a collaborative filtering engine based on the listening behaviorsof other media consumers and a tagging system as described above mayallow certain exemplary embodiments to represent the recommended mediacollections in a 3-dimensional space. One issue for a collaborativefiltering engine is the need for a significant amount of data to providegood recommendations. For new media or media with few consumers,conventional engine oftentimes cannot generate good recommendations.Certain exemplary embodiments address these shortcomings by recommendingmedia upon the similarity of tags that have been applied to the media.

FIG. 10 shows a 3D visualization of a recommended song collection inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment. Songs objects 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,10 that are close to song object 1 represent the following paradigm:customers who listen to song (A) also listen (or are likely to listen)to song (B). A size dimension may be introduced in certain exemplaryembodiments, wherein larger objects represent more frequently played orotherwise favored songs. When a user clicks on a “Generate Playlist” orsimilar button, the user may select two “end” song objects in therecommended collection. This may prompt the system to generate a paththrough the collection that connects the closest song object together.This may be accomplished using, for example, a suitable algorithm suchas a breadth first search, depth first search, Bellman-Ford, Dykstra,etc. The resulting playlist may be presented to the user for approval,modification, rejection, etc. in different embodiments of thisinvention. In certain example embodiments, the songs may correspond tonodes in a graph, whereas the size of the songs may represent weights ordistances between adjacent nodes or to a center node. Of course, thesame or similar techniques may be used for artists, albums, genres,and/or the like.

Once a user is identified, the system provides ongoing applicationand/or tracking of the individual's musical preferences and affinities.For instance, certain exemplary embodiments may provide artist and songrecommendations produced through the aggregation of the individual'sexplicit selections, metadata-based associations, social networksuggestion indicators, and/or the like. As musical tastes are varied,the system may maintain a list of the individual's “core” affinities.Such core affinities may be an artist, artists similar to a specificartist, a song, songs similar to a specific song, musical selections ofanother individual or individuals (e.g., as available from a socialnetwork music site or sites), recommended artists or recommended songsfrom user-identified music sites, etc. Any match from a user's musicaltaste web and the music catalog available from the device or from aserver or servers providing music catalog may in certain exemplaryinstances result in a subset of the music, presenting material that hasmatched the user explicit, user metadata, user social network friendsrecommendation, and user music site recommendations. As will be furtherdescribed below, this music may be a compared with the music libraryavailable at a given site, and the overlap of these two groups may bepresented for user selection.

Further details of an exemplary search state will now be provided. Asearch typically would be initiated to enable a user to find a list ofsongs, or a single song, that the user would like to play or add to acollection. Oftentimes, the user does not know the correct spelling ofthe artist, album, or song. Or the user may know the name of aparticular artist but does not necessarily know the exact group or bandwith which the artist recorded a particular song. Moreover, a user oftenremembers particular lyrics to a song but not necessarily the song titleitself. As still another example, a song may be memorable because of itsassociation with a movie or television show. This information has beenvery difficult to obtain before the development of entertainmentwebsites focused on providing additional details surrounding the use ofmusic, its popularity, its lyrics, the artists involved in its creation,important performances of the work, and many other music related data. Asearch using the techniques described herein could help overcome theseand/or other challenges.

To accomplish this type of search, artist and song related metadata maybe collected from a variety of sources. Searchable criteria may includesong genre, popularity (high ranking or frequent presence) on aparticular source within a particular time frame, etc. A user may selectthe song criteria (for example “country”), the timeframe (e.g.,“today”), and the source (e.g., heard on “MySpace”). The qualifiers mayappear as optional selection buttons offering a choice for eachselection criteria.

As public sources for music information become available, a metadatacollection system may help provide a relevant source for data ingestion.For instance, users may be able to identify their music styles, e.g., bydrawing on source and social data that is relevant to them. An examplemusic style search tool may provide a broad variety of sources, alongwith a very granular genre and subgenre selection, and/or other musicattributes. Further data regarding a song, for example, may be providedby an outside service (e.g., title, artist, album, label, genre, theme,etc.), or may be determined from the instance of media itself (e.g.,tempo or beats per minute, instrumentation, etc.).

FIGS. 11-14 illustrate how media may be searched in accordance with anexemplary embodiment. In particular, FIG. 11 is an illustrative screenshowing how objects may be navigated in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. The objects in FIG. 11 are represented by triangles, and theobjects may correspond to individual or collections of artists, albums,themes, genres, songs, etc. The order in which objects are presented maybe determined as specified above. A user may navigate the collections ina 3D-like manner by swiping up or down to “zoom” in or out. Pressing andholding or dragging a particular object to a blank area may indicate aselection.

In this regard, FIG. 12 is an illustrative screen showing how an objectmay be expanded upon selection in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. For instance, once an object is selected, it may “explode”to reveal the songs associated with the selected object. This mayinclude, for example, songs recommended for the user, event, and/orvenue. The recommendations may be based on a combination of thelocation- and user-specific metadata, as well as any relevant eventinformation, as compared with metadata and/or tags associated with theinstances of media themselves.

FIG. 13 is another illustrative screen showing how objects may benavigated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 13, a usermay rotate wheels to specify, for example, whether the objects representartists, genres, or songs; whether the instances of media are to beassociated with friends of a recognized user and, if so, which friend;etc. In general, this mode selection action alters the collections beingpresented as objects. For example, a mode choice of artist could incertain exemplary instances replace a series of album object virtualpains with a series of artist object virtual pains (e.g., all subject topreferential filtering). In the case of FIG. 13, the objects representgenres, the genres are limited by the recognized user's friends' genres,and the particular friend is Sally. As such, Sally's genres areretrieved. However, only those genres that satisfy the venue's choiceand the event parameters, are present on the music device or musicdevice server, etc., are made available for expansion (e.g., asexplained above). The FIG. 13 example also enables a user to enter wordfragments (e.g., song names, genre names, lyrics, etc.) to reduce thesongs being proposed for playback. FIG. 14 is similar to FIG. 13, exceptthat FIG. 14 is an illustrative screen showing how a user may enterlyrics to reduce the number of songs being proposed for playback inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

If the user is simply searching for songs, songs that are present onmusic device or available from the music device server may be reducedfrom the domain of all music as follows: availability on the server,availability on a music device, present in venue music style group, thenoptionally, all music available for this user, or music from my MusicStyle as recorded on my profile. FIG. 15 is a schematic representationshowing how songs may be selected for presentation to a user inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment. In the FIG. 15 examplearrangement, starting with the largest sphere and moving inwardly, thecollections include all music, music on a server, music on a musicplayback device, music in the venue's music style, music in the venue'sparticular event style, and music in the user's system. This or asimilar scheme may also be used for browsing and/or other features ofthe jukebox. For example, it will be appreciated that music may belimited in different orders, some of the limiting spheres may not beapplied, different limiting spheres may be applied, etc., in differentembodiments of this invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for determiningwhich content should be available for playback on a jukebox based onlocation-specific inclusion criteria and actual jukebox usage inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment. All music is initially providedto the jukebox in step S1602. For instance, instances of media from thecentral server and/or a local server are at least initially available.Inclusion criteria is then specified by an authorized person such as abar manager, etc., in step S1604. The inclusion criteria may be locationspecific in the sense that the inclusion criteria may not be relevant toother locations. For instance, an authorized person may specifyinclusion criteria including one or more genres, plus the Billboard top100, plus media associated with five friends. Once the inclusioncriteria has been specified, in step S1606, a heuristic is applied todetermine the appropriate music for presentation on the jukebox. Theheuristic may build a “map” of acceptable media for playback. In certainexemplary embodiments, the heuristic may operate such that each song isassigned a likelihood that it would be desirable for play at a location,and each likelihood may have a confidence level associated therewith. Afirst rule for certain example implementations is that if there is doubtas to whether the song should be included or removed, then the songshould be included. In certain exemplary embodiments, this may mean thatif either the likelihood for inclusion meets or exceeds a predeterminedthreshold or the confidence level is at or below a certain threshold,then the song should be included. A second rule certain exampleimplementations is that songs should be removed if they fall below acertain likelihood for inclusion along with a certain confidence. Thescale may be adjustable over time as more and more data is acquired. Inother words, the requirement for confidence may be lessened as more andmore data is acquired. Certain exemplary embodiments aim to avoidoffering a song that a patron has no link to, although this may notalways be possible since a patron's decisions are not completelypredictable. In any event, the appropriate music is displayed at theappropriate time(s) in step S1608, e.g., as a result of a search,browse, etc. The system may monitor for changes to the heuristic mapbased on jukebox usage over time in step S1610 and update the mappingaccordingly, e.g., by returning to step S1606. It will be appreciatedthat the system may become “smarter” or “learn” over time, e.g., as moreand more data is input.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a logit and/or probit calculation maybe made for each song to determine the likelihood of leaving it in orremoving it as an option for playback. The location information may beused to define the overall domain of the location or, in essence, setupthe overall “vibe” of place.

In one or more steps not shown in FIG. 16, event information, if any,may be used to further restrict the overall environment, at leasttemporarily. In such cases, event information may provide an optionaloverride, even to the overall “vibe” criteria. Similarly, in one or moresteps not shown in FIG. 16, the system may be provided with theprogrammed logic circuitry for individually filtering/sorting mediabased on user-specific metadata. This user-based information may notnecessarily as important as the overall vibe criteria in certain exampleimplementations, but certain exemplary embodiments want to provide theopportunity to drill down and provide more detailed recommendationsbased on layers and layers of tags and/or metadata associated with theusers and/or songs.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for initiallysetting up a jukebox in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In stepS1702, an authorized user (e.g., location staff member) inputs inclusioncriteria during initial setup of jukebox. The inclusion criteria may beindicative of the type of location (e.g., Irish bar, hip hop dance club,country line dancing, biker bar, ultralounge, etc.), characteristics ordemographics of typical patrons (e.g., age range, race/ethnicity, etc.),content ordering preferences (e.g., most popular first/last, newestfirst, etc.), etc. The jukebox then converts the inclusion criteria intometadata to be associated with the location in step S1704. Thisinformation is then communicated to the central server to determine theappropriate master playlist and overall look-and-feel for the jukeboxbased on inclusion criteria in step S1706. This process may includematching metadata associated with the location to metadata and/or tagsassociated with songs, the metadata/tags possibly being stored in ajukebox database of the central server, on social networking sites,and/or the like. Furthermore, additional information may be retrievedfrom external sources, as appropriate, and matching may then beperformed on this further information. For instance, certain exemplaryimplementations may retrieve information from social networking sites,Billboard, etc. In this way, it may be possible to glean informationregarding pure buzz or hype, popularity, etc. The need for determiningwhether to reach out to external sources may be based in part on arecognized user's information and/or recognized users' information maybe a source of data in itself. It will be appreciated that the centralserver may have a plurality of predefined categories and/or channels incertain exemplary embodiments, and the jukebox may select one or moreappropriate category(ies)/channel(s) in such embodiments based on thematching. In any event, information regarding the master playlist andlook-and-feel for jukebox is communicated from the central server to thejukebox in step S1708, and the jukebox is provisioned accordingly instep S1710. The provisioning may including setting the flight statecontent and/or flight state content source, setting the master musiclibrary for the jukebox, setting the “skin” for the jukebox, etc. Itwill be appreciated that steps S1706 to S1710 may be performedperiodically or dynamically to help ensure that the jukebox is up todate and providing appropriate music.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for customizingthe display for a recognized user in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. The master music library is provided in step S1802, e.g., inaccordance with the FIG. 17 example process. In step S1804, the userlogs in. In step S1806, information associated with recognized user isretrieved. Such information may be stored locally on the jukebox, in thecentral server, on a social networking site, etc. Such information mayinclude user-specified information concerning song plays, preselectedfavorites (e.g., artists, songs, albums, genres, etc.), demographics,etc. Such information also may include information gleaned from jukeboxusage over time (e.g., the user prefers newest music, prefers particularorder, only likes certain music at certain times/days/locations, etc.).The information associated with he recognized user is used as furtherinclusion criteria to customize selections for the user in step S1808.Such information may be used to further limit playlists, make“appropriate” recommendations, order or reorder the media presented tothe user, etc.

In steps not shown, but as a process associated with step S1808, thejukebox may communicate with the central server to determine appropriateuser-customized playlist/user-customized presentation based onrecognized user inclusion criteria. Similar to the above, thissub-process may involve matching metadata associated with the recognizeduser to metadata and/or tags associated with songs. Further informationmay be retrieved from external sources, as appropriate, and thenmatching may also be performed on this further information. Forinstance, it is possible to gather information from social networkingsites, one or more specified social network sites or sites of which useris a member, etc. User's data, user's friends' data, users' friends'friends' data, etc., may be of interest. This information may becommunicated regarding the user-customized playlist/user-customizedpresentation may be communicated from the central server to the jukebox,and the jukebox may be provisioned accordingly, as above. Similar to theabove, this may be performed periodically or dynamically (e.g., onrecognized user login). Ultimately, in step S1810, user browsing and/orsearch is enabled in accordance with the user-customizedplaylist/user-customized presentation.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for customizingthe display for a special event in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. The master music library is provided in step S1902, e.g., inaccordance with the FIG. 17 example process. Information about thespecial event is received in step S1904. Such information may include,for example, information about the type of event (e.g., a private partywith a DJ, disco night, rave night, etc.), the duration of event,whether the event recurs, etc. In step S1906, the information associatedwith the special event is used as further/alternate inclusion criteriawhen the jukebox communicates with the central server to determineappropriate playlist and look-and-feel for the jukebox. For instance,the further inclusion criteria may further limit playlists or sometimesgenerate a new master music library, make recommendations appropriatefor the event, order or reorder media appropriately, etc. Informationconcerning the event playlist and look-and-feel for the jukebox iscommunicated from central server to the jukebox in step S1908, and thejukebox is provisioned accordingly in step S1910.

In one or more steps not shown, user login may be enabled. However, someor all of the recognized user functionality may be overridden by virtueof the event taking place. That is, the jukebox system may or may notperform further limiting and/or make suggestions based on the recognizeduser information. Similarly, the jukebox system may or may not use otheruser preferences gleaned from general JB usage to providerecommendations/reordering. In certain scenarios, a user may search fora particular artist, e.g., to search for all albums or songs that artisthas provided. In such a case, the jukebox may update its display and tobecome more suitable for the particular artist, album, genre, etc. Forexample, FIG. 20a is a first example “artist portal” in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments. In the FIG. 20a example, a user hassearched for all albums by Alicia Keys. This may cause a change to thedisplay in terms of, for example, the underlying or background image,the color scheme of the user interface, the wireframe layout of theelements on the display, the external lightshow, etc. In the FIG. 20aexample in particular, an image of Alicia Keys is displayed as a highresolution underlay beneath the user interface. The albums from theartist's oeuvre are the only one displayed because they are the onlyones that match the search. The color scheme has become a more black andwhite color scheme, e.g., in accordance with Alicia Keys' Internetpresence. In certain exemplary embodiments, a link to the artist'shomepage, Facebook or other social networking or other site also may beprovided. In keeping with the simplified look-and-feel of the AliciaKeys' Internet presence, many optional control elements (e.g., as shownand described in connection with the FIG. 8b arrangement) may beomitted.

It will be appreciated that different artists may have different artistportals, and the updates (e.g., to the wireframe, elements shown, etc.)may be the same or different than those described above. In that regard,FIG. 20b is a second example “artist portal” in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments, e.g., for Santana. As can be seen, the Santanaartist portal has a different background art and a different colorscheme, as compared to the Alicia Keys artist portal. In addition, thealbums are not limited to Santana albums in the FIG. 20b example, as theuser arrived at the Santana portal via a different means, navigated awayfrom it (e.g., by implementing a subsequent search), etc.

Various “skins” may be attached to albums, songs, or the like, similarto how depth values may be assigned above. The concept of a skinincludes, in certain exemplary embodiments, one or more of images,themes, wireframe displays, web pages, etc., that is/are contextspecific. Thus, it will be appreciated that the selection of an album,song, artist, etc., may cause a lookup of an appropriate skin and causea corresponding change in the overall look and feel of the jukebox userinterface. The skin may include item selection and/or arrangementinformation indicating, for example, which control elements are to beselected, where they are to be located, how they are to besized/shaped/colored, etc. Corresponding information may be specifiedfor non-functional elements such as, for example, background art, etc.

Although certain exemplary embodiments have been described in relationto an artist portal, the techniques may be applied to other concepts.For instance, a skin may be created by a recognized user at the jukeboxor remotely, e.g., via the MyTouchTunes user interface, and the skin maybe applied upon user login. A user may customize its jukebox skin inaccordance with the above defining, for example, which control elementsare to be displayed and how they are to be displayed, background art,etc. Similarly, a record label, group of artists, etc., also may havepredefined skins that are applied at the above-described and/or otherpoints. As is known, some record labels have distinctive presences,iconic images, etc. It will be appreciated that Def Jam's skin may bemarkedly different from the MuzikMafia's skin, as well as El CartelRecords' skin, etc.

As is known, jukeboxes typically only display a currently playing song.However, a queue is kept and could be displayed on a display in full orin part. For instance, FIG. 21 is an example of a partial or incrementalpresentation of the jukebox's play queue in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments. A user may be charged a premium fee for partiallyand/or incrementally revealing the jukebox play queue. For instance, apricing scheme may be implemented such that the user pays a first amountfor seeing an immediately subsequent selection queued up for playback,and increased amounts for seeing more and more selections in the queue.

The FIG. 21 playlist reveal example shows upcoming song titles andartist names. However, the display techniques described herein may becaused to display on selective bits and pieces of the upcoming queue,e.g., so as to not give away too much information. The selective revealof information may be tied to the user's proclivity or inclination touse a “jump the queue” or “play it now” feature of the jukebox for aparticular selection. A pricing structure may be implemented such thatskipping 1 or 2 songs costs X credits, skipping 3 or 4 songs costs Xplus some further amount of credits, etc. In other words, the price forskipping songs may vary based on the number of songs to be skipped. Italso may be tied to the user's proclivity or inclination to use a “lockin” feature, e.g., that charges a premium price for ensuring that thesong will be played, that it cannot be skipped without a user paying atleast a user-paid or predefined reservation price, etc. The reveal ofinformation may selectively include one or more attributes of one ormore upcoming songs including, for example, title, artist, “mood” orgenre, beats per minute, etc. The selective reveal may provide, forexample, full title and artist information regarding the next two songs(which may be pop songs) and indicate that 10 more songs (which also maybe pop songs) are in the queue. In so doing, jukebox patrons,proprietors, and other visitors to the location may be able to get asense as to what the mood in the establishment will be like in thefuture. The selective reveal also may be tied to a timeframe, e.g., sothat people get a sense of what the establishment will feel like over apredetermined time period of, for example, the next 20-30 minutes, thenext hour, for the whole night, etc.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a jukebox device comprises a display;a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality ofinstances of media available for playback on or via the jukebox device;at least one processor configured to maintain a queue of instances ofmedia to be played back on the jukebox, the at least one processor beingfurther configured to cause a user interface to be displayed on thedisplay and further configured to respond to inputs to the userinterface. The user interface may include an indication of a currentlyplaying instance of media including at least a song name and an artistassociated with the instance of media; and an incremental queue revealmodule configured to cause the user interface to display informationabout one or more upcoming instances of media, the information at leastinitially excluding one or both of song names and artists.

The incremental queue reveal module may be configured to cause the userinterface to display information about a predetermined number ofinstances of media, with the predetermined number being greater than 1.In the alternative, or in addition, it may be configured to cause theuser interface to display information about a plurality of instances ofmedia, the number of instances of media depending on the number ofinstances of media in the queue that are playable within a predeterminedamount of time. The predetermined amount of time may be, for example, 30minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, the amount of time until closing, etc.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the incremental queue reveal module isconfigured to cause the user interface to at least initially displayonly information about a genre associated with each of the one or moreupcoming instances of media, only information associated with a numberof beats per minute associated with each of the one or more upcominginstances of media, etc. In certain exemplary embodiments, the initialdisplay may include information only about an artist of each of the oneor more upcoming instances of media.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the at least one processor isconfigured to activate the incremental queue reveal module upon paymentof a fee. The amount of information revealed may be made to vary independence on the fee collected such that a larger fee corresponds tomore information being revealed. Furthermore, the at least one processormay be configured to administer a first pricing scheme that relates theamount of fees due with the amount of information revealed with respectto each instance or media and with respect to a number of instances ofmedia for reveal.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a queue jumping module may beconfigured to enable the user to move a selected instance of media to auser-specified location in the queue. The at least one processor mayactivate the queue jumping module upon payment of a fee.

Furthermore, the at least one processor is configured may administer asecond pricing scheme that relates the amount of fees due to a number ofitems in the queue to be jumped. The fee may be made to varyproportionally with the number of items in the queue to be jumped. Theuser interface may be programmed to enable a user to lock in an instanceof media, upon payment of a fee, guaranteeing that it cannot be skipped.The incremental queue reveal module may be further configured toindicate whether instances of media are locked in such that they cannotbe skipped.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments.

Because the user interfaces of certain exemplary embodiments may beperceived by some users to be complicated, various techniques may beimplemented to help bring focus to patron-selectable elements, e.g.,song selection navigation. Blurring, fading, enlarging, and/or othertechniques may be used to manage the user's focus in differentembodiments, and thus may help simplify the experience, even thoughthere are many more features available and those features are morepowerful. For instance, FIG. 22a uses a colorized “blob” to highlightthe center selection, whereas other non-patron selectable elements maybe blurred, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments. FIG. 22bshows the enlargement of an album jacket to highlight its selection, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. In the FIG. 22b example,the background UI elements have not been modified to bring additionalfocus to the selected item. By contrast, FIG. 22c shows the enlargementof an album jacket to highlight its selection, and further blursbackground UI elements to help bring focus to the selected album, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. It will be appreciatedthat the background UI elements (e.g., in FIGS. 22b and 22 c, forexample) may be reduced to black-and-white images or otherwise coloradjusted to bring focus on one or more items of interest. Although FIGS.22a-c have been described in connection with the selection of an album,the highlighting techniques described herein may be applied to otheraspects of the UI experience.

Certain exemplary embodiments may also build mosaics, e.g., from albumcovers or other artwork. An algorithm may be run on source artwork tomake mosaics for use in the jukebox's user interface. Such an algorithmmay run in real-time on the jukebox, e.g., to accommodate various mosaicdesigns based on the source artwork available (e.g., the number of albumjackets available) and dynamically employ such mosaic designs in theuser interface. A mosaic construction algorithm may use facial and colordensity recognition to arrange (or prevent the arrangement of) thesource artwork in a desired patter, in certain exemplary embodiments.

Such mosaic techniques involve several concepts, including source imageselection and manipulation (e.g., for the images used to build themosaic), the destination image creation (e.g., for the target mosaicbeing created), and the destination image context (e.g., for how thetarget mosaic is used). The source images, destination image, andcontext in which the destination image is to be used may contain a layerof metadata. This metadata facilitates (e.g., through ID matching) tofind a wealth of metadata that can be reused to feed a mosaic-creationalgorithm. For instance, an album jacket is associated with a genre,style, artist, year, and other information. Play behavior and socialnetwork information about those musical elements may also be included tofeed the algorithm information about the relative popularity of musicelements, the placement of the music elements in relation to a socialnetwork environment, etc. For instance, more popular music may belarger, music played by a patron and a patron's friends (to apredetermined degree of separation in certain examples) may be enlarged,etc. In one context, an avatar of a user may be built from albumsjackets matching the user's musical preferences, a map of the USA drawnfrom actual plays as they occur on the network, etc. Further detailsabout these techniques are provided below.

With respect to source image selection and manipulation, mosaics may bebuilt from source images (tiles) that are aggregated to simulate alarger target image. The tiles may be made from a whole image or from asub-selection of the whole image, a modified source image (e.g., theoriginal image's colors or hues have been altered), etc. Similarly,tiles may be used in any angle, flipped, mirrored, etc., to assemble thetarget. Image types may be arbitrary and may include, for example, albumjackets, artist artwork, jukebox avatars, musical instruments, etc.Certain tiles may be flagged for special treatment by the algorithm. Forexample, popular albums, songs, or artists may be enlarged, etc.

With respect to destination image creation, it will be appreciated thatthe mosaic destination is the image being produced using the sourcetiles. A target may be a static image (e.g., artist artwork, a cowboyhat, the TouchTunes logo, etc), or a moving concept (e.g., an animationor video), or some combination thereof. Other possible destinationconcepts also are possible. With respect to destination image context, avariety of potential uses for constructed mosaics are possible. Forinstance, an artist image (e.g., for use in an artist portal asdiscussed above) may be built, e.g., using the artists' album jackets.As an example, an image of George Straight may be built using album artfrom his numerous albums. An image describing genre may be built, e.g.,using source tiles relevant to that genre. As an example, a cowboy hator popular artist like Taylor Swift may be built using only countrymusic album jackets). A target may be built using geographicalinformation (e.g., build a map of the USA using album jackets that arepopular for a specific region). A background mosaic also may be built,e.g., using current jukebox profile information (the location's mostpopular genre, the currently playing song, etc.). Mosaics may representplaylists, albums from an artist, etc. There are, of course, otherpossibilities for the context in which the mosaics may be used.

A user may interact with a mosaic in certain exemplary embodiments. Forinstance, a mosaic may be enlarged by a user, and the user may select asong, artist, album, playlist, etc., from the mosaic.

Techniques also may be provided for synchronized partial lyrics display.That is, in certain exemplary embodiments, lyrics may be displayed at anappropriate or predetermined time during a song. For example, if thejukebox were playing the Black Eyed Peas song, “I Gotta Feeling,” thewords “I Gotta Feeling!! !” could be displayed at the same time they aresung by the artist.

Lyrics also may be arranged in a pattern that reflects the context ofthe onscreen lyric snippet, also known as kinetic text. FIGS. 23a-d showexample screenshots of a kinetic motion display in accordance with anexemplary embodiment. The lyrics have been synched with the Blink 182song, “Josie.” FIG. 23a flies in at the start of the song. FIG. 23bincludes words that are added as they are sung, with stretching of theword “of” and with the placement of the words within other words as theyare moved out of focus. FIG. 23c shows how blurring can be selectivelyused to match the mood of the song, as it may be made to represent“frustration.” FIG. 23d illustrates how color can be used to emphasize aword as it is emphasized by the artist singing the song.

Kinetic text is enabled in certain exemplary embodiments by creating ascript that matches or synchs with the song. Thus, a track of metadataincluding timing, mood, motion, color, image, etc., may be created for asong, and the track may be stored, e.g., as described above. In certainexemplary embodiments, an XML or XML-like tag structure may be createdto link together timing, lyrics, and effects including, for instance,sizing/resizing, entry/exit points, zoom from/to locations, pandirections/amounts, etc.

Similar to the above, synchronized lighting projection also may beprovided in certain exemplary embodiments. The user interface colorationmay be modified to synchronize with the context of the currently playingsong. For example, if the jukebox is playing DJ Funk's “The Roof is onFire,” the user interface may display bright red and orange colorations,e.g., when the words “THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!” are sung. Themes may bedeveloped and associated with one or more songs. For example, a “fire”theme may be created, wherein the jukebox user interface is modified tored and orange colorations. The theme may be associated with songs likeDJ Funk's “The Roof is on Fire,” the Bloodhound Gang's “Fire WaterBurn,” Johnny Cash's “Ring of Fire,” the Ohio Players' “Fire,” etc. Thethemes may be linked to the songs, and they may be applied for theentirety of the song in certain example implementation. Alternatively,or in addition, XML or other scripts may be created such that there is alink between a time (or times) when the theme should be activated and aparticular song.

Certain exemplary embodiments may incorporate a camera into the jukebox.The camera may be used to create an artist or patron likeness, and thecaptured image may be treated and included into the user interface. Forexample, the jukebox's on-board camera may be used to convert thepatron's likeness into an on-screen facsimile or caricature of thecurrently playing artist. The likeness may be caricatured using knownautomatic or manual techniques, and the modified or unmodified image maybe used in a variety of ways. For example, the image may be used asbackground art, associated with a playlist, associated with a useravatar, incorporated into scripts used during music playback (e.g., toshow who selected a song), provided for a mosaic (e.g., for a playlist,of “regulars” at a venue, etc.), and/or the like. The presence of anetwork connection along with a camera also may be advantageous. Forexample, it may be possible to have a “live look-in” at a location. Aperson contemplating whether to visit a bar or club could determine inadvance whether it appears to be fun, exciting, “chill,” etc., inadvance. A user could also see what is going on at a location while awayfrom home. Live look-ins may be provided via an Internet connection andthus may be accessed through a webpage, a smart phone, or the like. Theimages also may be analyzed real-time or after the fact to gatherdemographic data about the location and/or jukebox patrons.

In a similar manner, the jukebox camera could be used a “mirror” to“reflect” what the jukebox sees is going on in the room, on the dancefloor, etc. A feed may be provided to the jukebox display itself, remoteterminals operably connected to the jukebox but still within the samevenue, to suitably equipped TVs or other displays, etc. The reality maybe “augmented,” e.g., by adding virtual elements to the mirror imagethat do not exist in reality. For instance, the image on-screen may beidentical to a mirror except that album jackets may float onscreen infront of the user's “reflection.”

In certain exemplary embodiments, the camera may be used as an attractdevice. More particularly, in certain exemplary embodiments, thejukebox's camera may serve as the basis for a motion detection systemthat attracts patrons to the jukebox. The jukebox may attract the patronby, for example, increasing or decreasing the intensity of the jukebox'suser interface lighting a the patron approaches; welcoming the patronwhen they are within a predetermined number of feet of the jukebox;playing a sound, such as a heartbeat, that lets patrons know they aregetting “colder” or “warmer” as they approach; using edge detection toestimate the size of a group and addressing the audience appropriatelyvia sound or textual display; and/or the like. The message also may bedetermined based on the type of music playing. Thus, if a group isdetected and country music is playing, a message like “Hey, y'all! Howabout a song?” may be displayed rather than the more generic message,“You look you could use a song.” The main display or any secondarydisplayed (e.g., an LED array) may be used to display messages likethese, e.g., for patron welcoming or other features, potentially beforethe patron has even physically touched the jukebox. It will beappreciated that the camera may be made to function as a proximitysensor in certain exemplary embodiments, and that certain exemplaryembodiments also may additionally or alternatively include separateproximity sensors for like purposes.

It is believed that, on average, 2.2 people are in front of the jukeboxat a time when a selection is being made. The camera may help determinethat multiple people are in front of the jukebox and make arecommendation for the group as opposed to the individual. Doing so alsomay help resolve seeming ambiguities in selections, as different groupmembers may have drastically different song requests that are not easilyclusterable or classifiable so as to come up with a good recommendation.Thus, recognizing that a group of people are present may relax certainconstraints, cause the jukebox to disregard seeming “outliers,” orsimply not provide recommendations to a group.

It will be appreciated that the camera may detect lighting levels andadjust jukebox elements so as to take a good quality picture. This mayin certain example instances involve adjusting display, LED, and/or rimlighting intensities in connection with a camera flash in a dark orpartially lit environment, lowering lighting levels to reduce washout ina bright environment, etc. In certain exemplary embodiments, the usersmay select an effect such as, for example, washout, saturation,overexposure, etc., and the camera and/or lighting elements may be madeto respond according to known photographic techniques for accomplishingthe desired effect(s).

In certain exemplary embodiments, a large glass or other panel may beplaced over a substantial portion of the jukebox. The panel in certainexemplary embodiments may be made to function as a touch screen panel incertain instances, thereby giving or at least simulating interactivefunctionality to jukebox elements that otherwise would not be usermanipulable. Thus, the panel may serve as a proxy for communication withelements with which a user ordinarily could not interact. The jukeboxsoftware may communicate the position of the touched area and take acorresponding action. Fore example, it may be possible to emulate atouch screen LED by placing it beneath a transparent, veritable tactilescreen, where the underlying LED array otherwise would not be usermanipulable. Examples of functionality that may be imparted to otherwisestatic elements include, for instance, tracing a user's finger as theuser spells out the user's name or other text (e.g., on an LED array),playing a classic “whack-a-mole” type game, detecting when a user isleaning on or otherwise touching the jukebox (which may cause thejukebox to display a message asking the user to avoid leaning on it,inviting the user to make a selection, etc.), and the like.

The camera and/or proximity sensors on the jukebox may be used as a partof a security system for the venue in certain exemplary embodiments.That is, in certain exemplary embodiments, the jukebox's camera may beused to detect and/or report an unwanted present. The camera may be usedto create an image or video of the unwanted present, if detected. Forinstance, after closing, the jukebox may be set to a security mode whereit appears to be powered down but its camera continues to function. Ifan intrusion is detected, e.g., via motion detectors, proximity sensors,and/or the jukebox's camera, the camera may create an image or video ofthe unwanted presence. The jukebox's audio capabilities to communicatewith the unwanted presence, e.g., by sounding an alarm, playing music asloud as possible, etc. The jukeboxes LEDs and/or main screen maycommunicate that the presence has been detected, and/or the main screenmay display a captured or live image or video of the intruders.Furthermore, the jukebox may use its network connection, e.g., to email,text message, or otherwise send an alert to the jukebox owner and/orappropriate authorities to apprise the owner and/or the authorities ofthe unwanted present, initiate a voice or VoIP call to the jukebox ownerand/or appropriate authorities, etc. Similar to the techniques describedabove, in a more “passive” mode, the camera may provide a live look-inmode for the owner and/or authorities to monitor the situation from alocal or remote location. In certain exemplary embodiments, the cameraon the jukebox may serve as and sometimes even take the place of aclosed circuit monitoring system.

In certain example embodiments, a security mode may be entered into at apredefined time (e.g., after closing), upon an input from an authorizedperson (e.g., shutting down the jukebox for the night), etc. Thesecurity mode may in certain exemplary embodiments power down orotherwise deactivate the display screen so that the jukebox as a wholedoes not appear to be operation. However, the camera disposed on orotherwise connected to the jukebox may capture a stream of images and/orvideo. That stream may be related to a security subsystem operating inthe jukebox network or a separate network. Authorized users may remotelylog into the security subsystem (e.g., using a username/passwordcombination, by inputting a unique address or other identifyinginformation) to obtain live look-ins. The jukebox and/or securitysubsystem may monitor for abnormalities such as, for example, unexpectedmotion at the venue, etc. Upon the detection of a disturbance, thesecurity subsystem may generate or relay a message to an authorizedperson. For example, a VoIP call may be initiated to the venue'sproprietor, to law enforcement personnel, to a private security company,etc. The jukebox also may be made to sound an alarm, display flashinglights, etc., as a security measure against intrusion into the location.

It will be appreciated that many of the same streaming techniques may beused in connection with other, recreational live look-in techniquesdescribed herein. For instance, the jukebox network or other appropriateserver system may obtain streaming information from the jukebox andenable users (e.g., registered users) to remotely view the venue, e.g.,from an Internet browser. In certain example embodiments, the jukeboxesthemselves may act as the servers.

In certain example embodiments, a jukebox device comprises a display; acamera; a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing aplurality of instances of media available for playback on or via thejukebox device; and at least one processor configured to: obtain imagesand/or video from the camera, display said obtained images and/or videofrom the camera on the display of the jukebox device substantially inreal time so that the display substantially mirrors what is detected bythe camera, and enable a remote user to view said obtained images and/orvideo from the camera. The at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to cause said obtained images and/or video to be displayed onone or more external display devices provided in a common location withthe jukebox device. Similarly, a web server may be configured to enablethe remote user to view said obtained images and/or video from thecamera.

The at least one processor may be further configured to enter into asecurity mode at a user-specified time or upon a signal from anauthorized user. The at least one processor causes the camera to act asa motion detector when said security mode is entered. The at least oneprocessor is configured to raise an alarm when motion is unexpectedlydetected. The alarm may include initiation of a VoIP call to one or morespecified parties; sending SMS, emails or other messages; causing thedisplay and/or lighting on the jukebox to become illuminated and/orflash; an audible alarm; and/or the like.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments.Certain exemplary embodiments also provide adaptive jukeboxpersonalization features including, for example, personality generationand personality expression. Personality generation relates to theprocess of collecting various pieces of information and using them tocharacterize the personality of the jukebox. This may be an ongoingprocess. For example, each time a user interacts with the jukebox, newinformation is generated and may be collected.

Different types of information may be considered to define thepersonality of a jukebox. These factors may include some or all of thefollowing and/or other factors: the jukebox's geographic location, themost popular songs played on a jukebox, the type of music played on ajukebox (i.e., genre, style, mood, etc.), plays made on the wholejukebox network, information as to whether additional weight should begiven to a current patron's selections (e.g., if they are a member ofMyTouchTunes or bar staff), etc.

The jukebox then may be assigned a personality type, e.g., based on thecollected information. Personality types may be discrete in the sensethat any given jukebox is assigned only one type at any given time. Thepersonality types, and the criteria matching those types, may be definedby the jukebox provider. For example, as a basic implementation, themost popular music genre in a location may be used to define personalitytypes. In such a case, jukeboxes may be referred to as “Rock type,” “R&Btype,” etc. Personality generation may also involve adjustments andrefinements to the jukebox personality type over time, e.g., as newinformation is collected. For instance, a jukebox initially becategorized as a “Rock type” jukebox, but may be refined over time toindicate a preference for “energetic” rock songs rather than “slow” rocksongs or “rock ballads.” Thus, it will be appreciated that informationmay be gathered, an initial assignment as to one of plural predefinedcategories may be made, and that adjustments or refinements to theinitial assignment may be made over time, e.g., as more data iscollected. It will be appreciated that the adjustments or refinementsmay be sub-classifications within a particular category,re-classification into a new category or sub-category, etc.

The personality expression of a jukebox may be understood as how theuser experience is affected as a result of the jukebox's personality.For instance, the general appearance of the jukebox may be modified tomatch the jukebox personality. Such modifications may include some orall of the following and/or other characteristics: displayinginformation about the jukebox's location, a custom UI theme representingthe personality of the jukebox, a lightshow pattern and coloration thatreflects the personality of the jukebox, background image of an artistas a UI backdrop according to the location's personality (see artistportal above), etc.

The example techniques described above also may apply to jukeboxadaptive music browsing and/or searching. For instance, when browsingmusic on the jukebox, emphasis may be placed on preferred music genres,styles, moods, etc., based on the jukebox personality. The same or asimilar approach may be applied to music searching. That is, in certainexample instances, more emphasis may be placed on preferred music typesin search results, e.g., such that songs that match the personality arelisted first or near the top of the results, or at least higher thanthey might otherwise be, etc.

Along similar lines, in certain exemplary embodiments, a jukebox searchalgorithm may provide incremental auto-complete suggestions to patronswith respect to the songs, artists, and albums most played on thatjukebox, and/or that match the personality of the jukebox. The algorithmmay draw from a variety sources that identify the preferences of theuser such as, for example, the DMA, city, MyTouchTunes user profile, andpossibly the Facebook user profile. Similar techniques may be applied asto the jukebox personality, e.g., for unregistered or not recognizedpatrons.

For example, as a patron enters the letters “Rol” into the search field,the auto-complete may recognize the user, and determine that the Latinartist Rolando should be listed higher on the auto-complete suggestionsthan the Rolling Stones, who are more popular across the jukeboxnetwork, but not necessarily more popular to the jukebox user or on thejukebox in use. The notion of jukebox personality also may be used tosend music content packages to jukeboxes according to theirpersonalities in certain example implementations.

Personalization of the jukebox and/or the user also may be used fortargeted advertisements. For instance, the personality of a jukebox maybe used to help determine which ads it will receive or display based onsome or all of the following and/or other factors: location specificevents (e.g., Happy Hour, Ladies' Night, New Year's Party, etc.), localconcerts (e.g., Arcade Fire, your favorite indie band is playing in NewYork this weekend), local events (e.g., local fund-raising, bloodcollections at the local community center, etc.), and/or the like.

Furthermore, contextual advertisements may be based on the personalityof the jukebox and/or the jukebox user. For recognized users who havelogged in, the personality may be known. However, for anonymous users,advertisements may be displayed based on a more current browsingbehavior and song selection (e.g., during a current selection). Forinstance, as the user browses the alternative rock genre on the jukebox,the jukebox may display advertisements for an upcoming Lollapaloozaevent.

Further personalization may be possible in connection with contextualadvertisements by taking a picture at the time of the user's interaction(or from an archive if the user is a recognized user) and thenincorporating the user's likeness into the advertisement. For example,if the user is browsing Jimmy Buffett music, a picture of the user maybe taken and incorporated into a picture with the user on the beach andan advertisement for cheap travel to the islands.

Certain exemplary embodiments may enable a user to create set lists forplay. For example, a user may browse the catalog of songs, etc., andselect songs for potential playback on the jukebox. The user may reordersongs, delete songs, add songs, etc., to the working set list during asession, much like a person may place items in a shopping cart andremove some other items. Once the set list is defined by the user, itmay be submitted for play in whole or in part as one or more packages.Similarly, the user may make some or all of the songs in the set listplay immediately for a premium. In that regard, the user may simply dragand drop the set list, or a portion thereof, into a predefined area ofthe user interface designated for causing immediate play of the song(s).Thus, it will be appreciated that the jukebox user interface may beconfigured to allow a user to create of a group of songs that are thenqueued for play by the user in a single action, and an advanced set listmay enable the user to modify the set list's contents before it isexecuted (e.g., such that songs may be added, removed, reordered, givena higher priority via the play next or jump the queue function, etc.).This set list may be executed using a user interface element or aphysical activator on the jukebox

The set list may be advantageous in certain exemplary embodimentsbecause it does not require a user to be logged in to the jukebox. Inother words, it will be appreciated that the set list techniquesdescribed herein may be particularly advantageous for ad hoc creation ofa list of songs for playback by an anonymous user. It will beappreciated that the user may be able to save the set list as a playlistfor subsequent use, e.g., by registering with the jukebox and/or loggingin to an already existing account.

FIG. 24 is an example screenshot of an improved music discovery userinterface in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments. As shown inFIG. 24, the elements in a collection of media are displayed in thefan-like arrangement 2402 in the approximate center of the screen. Thecollection may be, for example, selections from a genre, a playlist,etc. The collection may include a predetermined number of elements. Theelements in the selection may be user determined (e.g., in the case of aplaylist), determined by the provider of the jukebox (e.g., in the caseof a genre), a proprietor of the location (e.g., for a theme night orfor the location in general), etc. In the FIG. 24 example, genres 2404are listed in the arc at the bottom of the screen, and the “pop” genreis selected.

Once a collection is determined, a collection type may be furtherspecified. There are three buttons 2406 on the FIG. 24 example screenfor specifying the collection type. These options include artists,albums, and songs. Thus, the elements in the collection may be groupedor organized according to the collection type. In the FIG. 24 example,the collection type is “songs.” Accordingly, pop music selections areprovided in the fan-like arrangement at the approximate center of thescreen. All pop music selections in the collection are listed separatelyas songs because that is the specified collection type. If the albumscollection type were specified, the albums containing the songs in thecollection would be displayed. Similarly, if the artists collection typewere specified, the artists who perform songs in the collection would bedisplayed. In the latter cases, a user could browse by album or artist,make a selection, and then further select a song from a selected albumor artist. Regardless of how the elements are grouped by collectiontype, the same songs are represented, just in different ways.

Once a collection type is specified, the items in the collection may beordered, e.g., using an ordering indicator 2408. For instance, threeillustrative ordering buttons are provided below the fan-likearrangement of songs 2402. The “A-Z” button organizes the elements inalphabetical order, the star button organizes the elements in terms ofpopularity, and the calendar button provides a time-based arrangement ofthe elements (e.g., by release date). The selection of a particularorder will, in turn, cause a “scrubber bar” 2440 to appear. In the FIG.24 example, the order selected is alphabetical order and, thus, thescrubber bar shows the letters of the alphabet. A user may quicklynavigate through the collection using the scrubber bar (and, inparticular, in the FIG. 24 case, by selecting a letter). The selectionof a letter may cause it to glow or become larger for emphasis. It willbe appreciated that the elements shown in the scrubber may change basedon the order selected. For popularity, a series of numbers ranging from1 to the number of elements in the selection may be provided, and aseries of dates, years, or the like may be provided if the calendarorder is selected. It will be appreciated that the selection of anartist may not allow the calendar order to selected in certain exampleinstances, as an artist typically is not associated with a year the sameway an album or song has a release date. However, in certain cases, thedate of an artist's first single or first album may be used as arelevant date.

Thus, in certain exemplary embodiments, a jukebox device comprises adisplay; a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing aplurality of instances of media available for playback on or via thejukebox device; and at least one processor configured to cause a userinterface to be displayed on the display and further configured torespond to inputs to the user interface. The user interface includes: atleast one first user interface element configured to enable a user toselect a collection of instances of media available for playback from aplurality of possible collections of instances of media each saidcollection representing a different partial subset of media availablefor playback on or via the jukebox device, at least one second userinterface element configured to enable the user to select one of pluralpossible grouping modes for grouping the instances of media in thecollection, the grouping modes including artist, album, and songgroupings, wherein the selected grouping mode determines items to bepresented to the user for possible selection, at least one third userinterface element configured to enable the user to select one of pluralpossible ordering modes for ordering the items to be presented to theuser for possible selection, and a display area for displaying at leastsome of the items to be presented to the user for possible selection,the items being ordered within the display area according to theselected ordering mode. The at least one first user interface element,the at least one second user interface element, and the at least onethird user interface element are all displayable on the display at thesame time. The collections may include predefined genres and/or musicalthemes, playlists, and/or the like in different implementations.

The ordering modes may include, for example, an alphabetical order mode,a popularity-based order mode, and a chronological or date order mode.Each item to be presented to the user for possible selection may beassigned a popularity value, with the popularity-based order modeordering the items to be presented to the user for possible selectionbased on the assigned popularity values. The popularity values may beassigned based on one or more of: item popularity across a jukeboxnetwork, item popularity at a venue at which the jukebox device islocated, item popularity on an industry chart, and/or item popularity atone or more social networking sites. The chronological or date ordermode may in some cases be disabled when the artist grouping mode isselected.

The user interface may in certain exemplary embodiments further displayat least one fourth user interface element, with the at least one fourthuser interface element being adaptable based on the selected orderingmode. The at least one fourth user interface element may include letterswhen the alphabetical order mode is selected, numbers or linescorresponding to popularity values when the popularity-based order modeis selected, a date or calendar display when the chronological or dateorder mode is selected, etc. In certain implementations, the displayarea may include a partial subset of the items to be presented to theuser for possible selection, with the partial subset being determinedbased on a selection made with respect to the at least one fourth userinterface element.

A partial subset of items may be displayable in the display area in afan-like arrangement across a general center area of the display, wherethe exact items displayed are changeable based on user manipulation ofthe at least one fourth user interface element and/or user input to thedisplay area. In certain exemplary embodiments, a user selection of adisplayed album item causes the display of songs within the selectedcollection and associated with the selected album item to be displayedin the display area, and/or a user selection of a displayed artist itemcauses the display of songs within the selected collection andassociated with the selected artist item to be displayed in the displayarea. In certain exemplary embodiments, a user selection of a displayedsong item causes a popup screen to be displayed, with the popup screenenabling the user to confirm that the selected song is to be playedback. The display of the popup screen may be accompanied by theblurring, fading, and/or reduction to grayscale of user interfaceelements behind the popup screen.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments.

Many jukeboxes, kiosks, gaming devices, and the like have used exteriorlights to attract and/or emphasize various events. These devicestypically issue direct commands to a color-processing device.Unfortunately, however, this control technique oftentimes makes itdifficult to tailor the overall experience (e.g., acoustic, userinterface, electromechanical, environmental, and peripheral) to changingor event-related situations, e.g., to adopt a different appearance in acoordinated fashion. More particularly, what has been absent is theability to contextually alter these behaviors in a way that allows thedevice and its user interface to collaborate as an integrated system. Asolution to this problem is to create a control system that couples thebehavior of visual peripherals and displays to a theme. The theme thusin certain exemplary embodiments would help describe the standardbehavior for the user interface and the peripheral lights.

The exemplary embodiments described herein may be used in connectionwith a jukebox of the type shown and described in, for example, U.S.application Ser. No. 29/371,255, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference. FIGS. 25a-b show components of ajukebox device in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments, andFIG. 26 is an image of an example jukebox device in accordance withcertain example embodiments. As can be seen from FIG. 25 a, a backwashlight segment (1) is provided, along with a rim light segment (2). AnLED display (3) is located above a payment mechanism attract light (4),the latter of which helps serve as a main display screen and mainportion of the user interface. A near field communication attract light(5) may be provided. A user may provide payment via a payment acceptorthat is proximate to a payment mechanism attract light (6). A mainactivation switch light (7) also may be provided around a mainactivation switch. FIG. 25b is a close-up of the LED display (3) shownin FIG. 25 a, in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments. As canbe seen from FIG. 25 b, the LED display (3) may comprise a portion of anarray of individual LED elements (9). At least the LED display (3) andthe main display screen may be covered with a common touch-sensitivepanel in certain exemplary embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 26, the jukebox device 2600 includes a main displayscreen 2602 that is configured to display a main user interface, e.g.,under the control of at least one processor built into the jukeboxdevice 2600. A secondary display 2604 (which may, in certain exampleembodiments comprise an LED array) also is provided above the maindisplay screen 2602. In certain example embodiments, the secondarydisplay 2604 may be configured to display FFT-like data, welcomemessages, kinetic or static text, etc. In certain example embodiments,the main display 2602 and/or the secondary display 2604 may be fully orpartially covered with a glass or other touch-sensitive substrate 2606.This touch-sensitive substrate 2606 may provide interoperability tootherwise static elements such as, for example, the secondary display2604. In certain example embodiments, the main display screen 2602 maybe a first touch screen display itself, and a touch-sensitive may beprovided over only the secondary display 2604. Other arrangements are,of course, possible in different embodiments.

A physical interaction button 2608 may be provided for taking an actiondesignated by the user interface. In certain exemplary embodiments,lighting elements may be disposed around the button 2608. A decorate“play” or other symbol may be placed on the button 2608 to improve itsaesthetic appearance.

One or more lighting elements 2610 may be provided around the peripheryof the jukebox device 2600. The one or more lighting elements 2610 maybe operable as a single element, as segments, etc., in differentembodiments. In certain exemplary embodiments, the one or more lightingelements 2610 may be provided, constructed, and/or controlled so as tosimulate more classic or vintage-looking neon lights. Although notshown, one or more light elements may be disposed at or pointing towardsthe rear of the jukebox device, e.g., so as to provide for a “wall wash”or back light. A frame 2612 also may be provided around the outerperiphery of the jukebox device 2600, e.g., so as to give it a completedor “seamless” look and feel.

One or more payment acceptors may be provided. As shown in the FIG. 26example, a credit card acceptor 2614 is provided, as are first andsecond bill acceptors 2616 and 2618. Coin acceptors may be provided incertain example embodiments, as may RF-ID readers. A common colorpalette and themed behavior type may be applied to some or all of thesevisual assets so that they are coordinated and attractive rather thanharsh and random. For example, rear facing lights (1), a front facinglight rim (2) the text or graphics on LED display (3) and all usage ofaccent color (12) occurring within the User Interface could be set tothe same color attribute. Then, this attribute could change according toa set periodicity and by using a color range or a sequence of specificcolors (defined by RGB, pantone or other color description method). Theeffect of this would be a highly coordinated visual appearance.

A common script or data set may be provided for synchronizing thedisplay elements, e.g., in terms of color or colors, periodicity forchange, synchronization rules, etc. It will be appreciated that bysubstituting a new data set, the complete overall appearance of thedevice and the rendered user interface may be changed without alteringany of the software or hardware. This would, in turn, allow the samesystem to be used in diverse commercial and/or residentialestablishments, and further provide the ability to adapt the establisheddesign and often trademarked color usage that identifies the brand.

Such techniques also may allow independent locations that have investedin specific lighting and design to tailor the color, intensity, and paceof all lighting so that it would fit with their established decor, allthe while benefiting from the manual or automatic coordination of theon-screen user interface that would appear to have been customer coloredfor this location. In certain exemplary embodiments, the system may beset to use a preplanned color palette but to apply this palette todifferent rhythms, e.g., either the actual beat and/or frequency of thesong being played at this instant, or a set pace that was establishedfor the location. The combination of this color and pattern may helpconstitute the location's lighting theme. The customization may beenhanced with a set of images that is gathered into an image collectionsuch as “Country” or Urban,” and these images may have associatedmetadata that describes a lighting theme.

As the images are presented on the system's embedded screen, or onremote screens that are provided with content from the system, thelighting may follow the entrance and exit animations of the images. Thislighting rhythm may be “with slideshow” and the light color, luminosity,and rhythm that is to be followed as the image may be presented based onmetadata associated with each image, e.g., as in a matte for a print,the lighting color may enhance or complement certain colors within theimage. This advantageously may help provide the ability to extend thevisual impact of an image beyond its actual size, e.g., by projecting acomplementary color or colors at the same time.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the coordination of the presentationof an image and the lighting attributes may involve the presenting of astill or full-motion advertisement on the local or remote screen. Thebrand colors or signature contrasts could be presented temporarily,e.g., in accordance with the display of the advertisement. The patternmay be overridden based on a defined event. For example, if a musicplaying event occurs, then the light pattern on a device may adopt therhythm and color choices to provide accompanying song visualization. Inother words, in certain exemplary embodiments, priorities may bedefined, and the advertisement coloration effects may be made secondaryto music related events, etc.

Each colorization pattern may be described in terms of “key frames” incertain exemplary embodiments. For example, for each channel, there maybe multiple key frames, with each one being defined by the end value forthe color of the channel to be computed starting from the current color,to a specific point in time, using a given easing mode. The point intime may be defined using a color value representing the progress in theinterval of [ 0, 1]. The easing mode may be a mathematical function thattranslates the time into a dimensional progress factor used when goingfrom key frame to key frame.

Below is an illustrative script that defines a lightshow pattern inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. More particularly, theexample script below defines a lightshow pattern with a duration of 10seconds and operating on the color of the 6 channels that constitute thewash wall. For the first channel, the first key frame will move thecolor from black to blue in the first 10 percent of the duration of thepattern. The second will move the color from blue to green from 10percent to 20 percent of the duration. The third will move the colorfrom green to red from the following 20 percent of the duration to the30 percent of the duration, and the last key frame will move the colorfrom red to black from 30 to 40 percent of the duration.

For the second channel, the first key frame will move the color fromblack to blue from 10 to 20 percent of the duration of the pattern. Thesecond will move the color from blue to green from 20 to 30 percent ofthe duration. The third will move the color from green to red from thefollowing 30 percent of the duration to the 40 percent of the duration,and last key frame will move the color from red to black from 40 to 50percent of the duration, and so forth.

[  /* channels declaration */ [ { “type” : “TTChannel”, “id” :“channel-0”, “index” :0 }, { “type” : “TTChannel”, “id” : “channel-1”,“index” : 1 }, { “type” : “TTChannel”, “id” : “channel-2”,  “index” : 2}, { “type” : “TTChannel”, “id” : “channel-3”, “index” : 3 }, { “type” :“TTChannel”, “id” : “channel-4”, “index” : 4 }, { “type” : “TTChannel”,“id” : “channel-5”, “index” : 5 }, { “type” : “TTChannel”, “id” :“channel-6”, “index” : 6 } ], /* pattern declaration */ [ { “type” :“TTAnimator”, “id” : “animator-default”, “duration” : 10000, /* durationin milliseconds */ “is-default” : true, /* if true, the pattern willloop indefinitely */ “properties” : [ {  “object” : “ channel-0”,  “name” : “rgb”,   “ease-in” : false,   “interpolation” : “linear”,  “keys” :  [  [ 0.10, “linear”, “blue” ],  [ 0.20, “linear”, “green” ], [ 0.30, “linear”, “red” ],  [ 0.40, “linear”, “black”]  ]  },  { “object” : “channel-1”,  “name” : “rgb”,  “ease-in” : false, “interpolation” : “linear”,  “keys” :  [  [ 0.20, “linear”, “blue” ], [ 0.30, “linear”, “green” ],  [ 0.40, “linear”, “red” ],  [ 0.50,“linear”, “black”]  ]  },  { “object” : “channel-2”, “name” : “rgb”,“ease-in” : false, “interpolation” : “linear”, “keys” : [  [ 0.30,“linear”, “blue” ],  [ 0.40, “linear”, “green” ],  [ 0.50, “linear”,“red” ],  [ 0.60, “linear”, “black”]  ]  },  { “object” : “channel-3”,“name” : “rgb”, “ease-in” : false, “interpolation” : “linear”, “keys” :[ [ 0.40, “linear”, “blue” ], [ 0.50, “linear”, “green” ], [ 0.60,“linear”, “red” ], [ 0.70, “linear”, “black”] ]  },  { “object” :“channel-4”, “name” : “rgb”, “ease-in” : false, “interpolation” :“linear”, “keys” :  [ [ 0.50, “linear”, “blue” ], [ 0.60, “linear”,“green” ], [ 0.70, “linear”, “red” ] , [ 0.80, “linear”, “black”]  ]  },{ “object” : “channel-5”, “name” : “rgb”, “ease-in” : false,“interpolation” : “linear”, “keys” : [  [ 0.60, “linear”, “blue” ],  [0.70, “linear”, “green” ],  [ 0.80, “linear”, “red” ],  [ 0.80,“linear”, “black”] ]  }, ] }  ] ]

FIG. 27 is an illustrative view of visual components on a jukebox devicebeing color matched and synchronized in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments. In the FIG. 27 example, an advertisement forVerizon is being shown. In that regard, the LED display says Verizon,and the Verizon logo appears in the main display area. In addition, theLED display text is red, as is a portion of the main display. The wallwash also is red, and the rim light segment is white for contrast. Thered Verizon theme may be applied during song play, as shown in FIG. 27in which the Black Eyed Peas song “Boom Boom Pow” is being played. Incertain exemplary embodiments, a custom message may be designated forthe song, e.g., to display “BOOM BOOM BOOM!! !” in the LED display whenthe artists sing the same. In such a case, precedence may be given tothe song-specific text. However, the red Verizon theme may bemaintained, such that the text is displayed in that color pattern.

In certain example implementations, the coloration might not be exact asbetween different display elements, even when the same colors arespecified. For instance, the LEDs in the array may have a certain CRI orother value influencing the color produced, whereas the main display mayhave a second CRI or other value influencing the color produced. TheLEDs in the LED array may be different still from the rim light segment,etc. The wall wash may be influenced by the paint on the wall, ambientlight, etc.

To provide a consistent coloration, the system may specify differentcolors for output such that they seem to be the same to a viewer. Thedifferences may be predetermined in some respects, e.g., for the LEDarray, the main display area, and the rim lights. However, it may not bepossible to always predict and pre-compensate for location-specificfactors that may influence the ultimate coloration. In such cases, thecamera may be used to help determine the characteristics of theenvironment. Data from the camera may be analyzed and/or used to adjustthe coloration of one or more elements so that a consistent colorationis possible. A software-based color filtering module may be provided incertain exemplary embodiments for helping to collect the data, calculateoffset values (e.g., in accordance with a mathematical formula), andproviding instructions or color offset codes for the operating system toconsider when indicating what colors are to be output for each of thedisplay elements.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a jukebox device is provided. It mayinclude, for example, at least one display device; a generally elongatearray of LED elements provided above the at least one display device; abackwash light arranged at a rear portion of the jukebox device andconfigured to generate light behind the jukebox device; a rim lightdisposed around a periphery of the jukebox device; a substantiallycircular activation switch or button; a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium storing a plurality of instances of media available forplayback on or via the jukebox device; and at least one processorconfigured to provide a user interface and further configured tocoordinate lighting events based at least in part on events associatedwith the user interface. At least one payment collector having anassociated payment mechanism attract light provided in close relativeproximity thereto also may be provided.

The at least one processor may coordinate lighting events in dependenceon a script (e.g., an XML-based script), and the script may includeindications as to what lights are to be activated, when the lights areto be activated, and what color is to be displayed.

At least some instances of media may have themes associated therewith,with the themes being recognizable by the at least one processor suchthat, when played, the at least one processor creates lighting events inconnection with the corresponding theme. Similarly, the jukebox devicemay be configured to display advertisements, with at least some of theadvertisements having themes associated therewith, and with the themesbeing recognizable by the at least one processor such that, whendisplayed, the at least one processor creates lighting events inconnection with the corresponding theme.

A single touch sensitive substrate may be disposed over both the atleast one display device and the array of LED elements. The at least oneprocessor may be configured to monitor for inputs to the touch sensitivesubstrate and selectively activate LED elements in the array of LEDelements in response to a detected touch to an overlying area.

The at least one processor may be configured to coordinate lightingevents having consistent colors produced by different light sources byoffsetting the color values to be generated to account for differencesin the light generated by the light sources and/or in response to thesurrounding environment. In certain exemplary embodiments, the jukeboxdevice may further comprise a camera. The at least one processor may beconfigured to use data from the camera to determine ambient conditions.

Methods of making and/or using such jukebox devices also may beprovided, as may non-transitory computer readable storage mediumstangibly storing instructions for using such jukebox devices/providingsuch user interfaces. Jukebox systems including plural jukebox devices,for example, also may be provided in different exemplary embodiments. Incertain exemplary embodiments, karaoke features may be provided. Karaokefeatures may be enabled, for example, by linking songs to lyricalscripts. Such scripts may have lyrics associated with times in a songand optionally may further include animation information (e.g., kinetictext) for highlighting text as it is to be sung, removing text once ithas been sung, introducing new text that it about to be sung, etc.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the jukebox may receive live streams.For instance, in certain exemplary embodiments, a DJ may simultaneouslystream music to multiple jukeboxes at multiple locations. Similarly, aDJ in a location may tie into a venue's jukebox system and turn some orall jukeboxes in the venue into a speaker system.

It will be appreciated that the flowcharts and use cases presented aboveare provided by way of example and without limitation. Other flowchartsand use cases are possible in connection with different exemplaryembodiments of this invention.

The metadata and/or tags associated with the songs may be provided by acommercial service, by the jukebox system, users, and/or somecombination of these and/or other providers. Some such data may bedetermined automatically (e.g., through Fourier analysis and/or othertransforms). For music, metadata and/or tags may be representative ofinformation including, for example, artist name, album name, song name,genre/style (which may be hierarchical in some instances), Billboardposition (when applicable), release year, popularity based on networkplays information, lyrics, tempo, beats per minute (BPM), mood,instrumental characteristics (e.g., strident electric guitars, boomingdrums, twangy guitar, etc.), vocal characteristics (e.g., aggressive,prominent vocal harmonies, screaming, etc.), intensity characteristics(e.g., high energy, moderate, laid back, etc.) timbre (e.g., bright,dark, rich, etc.), and/or the like. Potential suppliers of this and/orother information include, for example, AMG, BMAT, DoubleV3, EchoNestMixZing, Gracenote, Mufin MusicIP, Music Box, Music Genome Project, andSyntonetic.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to an entertainment centercomprising a computer capable of communicating with networks, whereinsaid computer is further connected to at least one display throughstandard analog, digital, or network-addressable displays, said computerbeing operable to interact with a remote device connected to one of saidnetworks in communication with said computer, said remote device beingoperable to accept a code and transmit said code to said computer, andwherein said computer can validate against a database or against analgorithm the validity of said code and, upon positive validation, saidcomputer is configured to allocate a monetary value or a credit value tosaid remote device. The remote device may be operable to browse contentcontained on said computer and said remote device may be furtheroperable to select and pay for said content using said monetary or saidcredit value, said computer may be operable to reduce said monetary orsaid credit value upon a selection by said remote device. The code mayinstead or in addition be sent to the remote device and entered on thecomputer.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to an out-of-home entertainmentcenter coupled with at least one Internet-based messaging system and/ora social networking site and coupled with at least one remote device,said remote device being connected to the out of home entertainmentcenter by a wired or wireless local area network or through theInternet, wherein the use of some of the entertainment center servicesby said remote device causes said entertainment center to send messagesto said at least one Internet-based messaging system. Connecting thesystem through the Internet may require a user to input a code to theremote device that uniquely identifies the entertainment center.

Some of the handheld devices referred to herein may be those described,for example, in application Ser. No. 11/902,790, the entire contents ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure has used certain terms that should not beinterpreted as limiting the invention to a particular embodiment,hardware components and configurations, software configurations, etc.For example, many features and examples have been described in relationto their existence within a bar, pub, or other environment. However, itwill be appreciated that the features present in the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention are adaptable for use in anylocation where a jukebox (or multiple jukeboxes) may be located.Similarly, while certain features and functions are described withreference to usage by “users,” “owners,” “operators,” “patrons,” etc.,it will be appreciated that these terms are generic and may, in mostcases, be used interchangeably depending on the embodiment chosen andthe feature employed. For example, while it may be advantageous to limitthe initial song selection to owners and/or operators, in certainexemplary embodiments, patrons may play a role in the initial songselection. It will be appreciated that the term “display” includes, forexample, monitors connected to computers directly or remotely, orembedded ICs such as IP TV technology. Displays may be networkaddressable Also, standard digital signs (LED based) also may beconsidered displays and/or may be provided as network addressabledisplays.

Although certain exemplary embodiments have been described in connectionwith out-of-home locations, it will be appreciated that the techniquesdescribed herein may be adapted for use in an in-home or personaljukebox.

Still further, particular hardware combinations and configurations aredisclosed which represent only one way which the embodiments may beconstructed. Central servers may, in some exemplary embodiments, becomprised of one or more servers acting together or separately tocoherently provide the full range of services necessary to enable afunctioning jukebox. For example, a cluster of servers may comprise avirtual central server, with one server providing media, anothertracking membership, still another processing licensing, etc. Similarly,the local servers described herein may be incorporated into thejukeboxes. For example, the local servers may appear to functionindependently, even though they exist as part (e.g. partition) of anintegrated mass storage device within the jukebox. Indeed, as hard disksbecome larger and less expensive, they may preferably serve thefunctions of local servers.

Also, although the term “song” has been used sometimes in theabove-description, this term is not intended to be limiting to the scopeof the invention, and any instance or instances of media (e.g., song,video, song/video combination, data, information etc.) can be used inany embodiment herein and still fall within the intended scope of theinvention.

Lastly, it will be appreciated that the screen shots and softwarearrangements presented herein are only one exemplary method fororganizing and displaying the features disclosed herein. Otherconfigurations are possible and are therefore contemplated herein.

While the preferred aspects of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart that various changes and/or modifications can be made. Thus, thespecific description herein is meant to be exemplary only and is notintended to limit the invention beyond the terms of appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A jukebox device, comprising: a display; anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality ofinstances of media available for playback on or via the jukebox device;and at least one processor configured to cause a user interface to bedisplayed on the display and further configured to respond to inputs tothe user interface, wherein the user interface comprises a display areaincluding virtual axes defining a coordinate space in which individualsong, artist, and/or album items are to be displayed, wherein eachindividual song, artist, and/or album item has a plurality ofcharacteristics associated therewith, each said axis is associated withone of said characteristics so that each individual song, artist, and/oralbum item has a defined location in the coordinate space, and whereinthe display area is updatable in response to user input corresponding tomovement within the coordinate space.
 2. The jukebox device of claim 1,wherein the coordinate space is two-dimensional.
 3. The jukebox deviceof claim 1, wherein the coordinate space is three-dimensional.
 4. Thejukebox device of claim 1, wherein items are arranged alphabeticallyalong a first axis and chronologically along a second axis.
 5. Thejukebox device of claim 1, wherein a release date associated with theitem determines the item's positioning along the second axis.
 6. Thejukebox device of claim 1, wherein discrete areas of one said axis aredesignated for a predefined arrangement of discrete genres.
 7. Thejukebox device of claim 6, wherein the predefined arrangement ofdiscrete genres is decomposable into a predetermined sub-arrangement ofdiscrete sub-genres.
 8. The jukebox device of claim 6, wherein thediscrete genres are grouped such that based on degrees of similaritytherebetween such that similar genres are provided in closer relativeproximity to one another as compared to disparate genres.
 9. The jukeboxdevice of claim 1, wherein song items are selectable so as to triggertheir playback.
 10. The jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor, upon detecting a song items selection, causes a popupscreen to be displayed, the popup screen enabling the user to confirmthat the selected song is to be played back.
 11. The jukebox device ofclaim 10, wherein the display of the popup screen is accompanied by theblurring, fading, and/or reduction to grayscale of user interfaceelements behind the popup screen.
 12. The jukebox device of claim 1,wherein the at least one processor, upon detecting an album or artistselection, causes movement within the coordinate space such that theselected item is centered therein.
 13. The jukebox device of claim 1,wherein elements are grouped alone one axis based on popularity.
 14. Thejukebox device of claim 13, wherein popularity is determined withreference to item popularity across a jukebox network, item popularityat a venue at which the jukebox device is located, and/or itempopularity on an industry chart.
 15. The jukebox device of claim 13,wherein popularity is determined with reference to item popularity atone or more social networking sites.
 16. A method of making a jukeboxdevice, the method comprising: providing a display; providing anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality ofinstances of media available for playback on or via the jukebox device;and providing at least one processor configured to cause a userinterface to be displayed on the display and further configured torespond to inputs to the user interface, wherein the user interfacecomprises a display area including virtual axes defining a coordinatespace in which individual song, artist, and/or album items are to bedisplayed, wherein each individual song, artist, and/or album item has aplurality of characteristics associated therewith, each said axis isassociated with one of said characteristics so that each individualsong, artist, and/or album item has a defined location in the coordinatespace, and wherein the display area is updatable in response to userinput corresponding to movement within the coordinate space.